My Article: 2008 Napa Cab Patrol

Cars continued to slow down in front of us on Highway 29 as they looked into their rearview mirrors at the ominous figure of our white 2011 Ford Crown Victoria sedan car. I’ve been pulled over by a number of these unmarked highway cruisers myself.

My business partner James Orr and I were patrolling for balanced and structured California Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2008 vintage. So far, we had stopped in to video Chappellet and Larkmead, and also had Tierra Roja to shoot. I’m looking for Cabs that show where they come from with intensity yet harmony. I have already written a few blogs this week about my disappointment with a number of high octane Napa Cabs during a tasting tour last week. 

I think that the 2008 vintage offers a pleasant alternative to the full throttle fruit style of the excellent 2007. It could be like comparing 2010 Bordeaux to 2009.  The 2008 vintage in Napa made cooler and firmer Cabs than 2007. I like some 2008s better than 2007s, such as Screaming Eagle and Colgin IX Estate — all the Larkmead Cabs as well.

“We like the 2008 at Larkmead more than 2007 because they have more of a sense of where they’re from, and they are more complex and structured,” said winemaker Andy Smith of Larkmead. 

I don’t think 2008 on a whole is better than 2007 for Napa Cabs, but it certainly made stylish and interesting wines. Maybe it’s a “sleeper vintage” as Andy says?