The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wines Reviewed

Who would have thought that the 2015 vintage in Napa Valley could have produced so many fresh and fruity reds? I certainly didn’t think it was possible considering the short growing season and hot, dry and early harvest. However, most of the 400 Napa 2015s that we tasted this year were rated 90 points or higher, just as we did with the other 500 2015s published in 2017. And they are all reds — primarily cabernet sauvignon — that everyone is going to want to drink.

The majority are wines that are fruity and rich with ripe tannins, as well as fresh fruit. To be sure, they don’t have the absolute freshness and balance of the 2014s or the tannic power of the 2013s. But many are fresher and better than the opulent 2012s. They are a beautiful compromise between the 2014s and 2013s. And so many of them are open and very drinkable now.

I found four perfect 100-point Napa reds from 2015: Colgin Cellars Syrah Napa Valley IX Estate 2015, Continuum Napa Valley Sage Mountain Vineyard 2015, Realm Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Oakville To Kalon Vineyard 2015 and Screaming Eagle Napa Valley 2015.

“I think 2015 is a very exciting vintage that gives great pleasure,” says Michael Silacci, the director of winemaking for Opus One, which produced a fabulous 2015. “It was a lower-yield year and we had a heat spell in early September; so, we selected the grapes for freshness and made various pickings. This allowed us not to slip into overripe territory in our blends.”

The other winemakers I spoke to, about three or four dozen in total, also agree with Silacci. “I don’t think we will ever go back to those styles of raisiny wines,” says Paul Hobbs, the famous winemaker who made some stunning cabernets from the vintage. “It used to be every year in the early 2000s when we had such hot vintages. So, we know how to prune and leaf thin and anticipate anything.”

It seems that nearly all the top winemakers tweaked their vineyards as well as the harvest and winemaking due to the precocious nature of the vintage. The severe selection of grapes on the sorting table before fermentation was also essential. They did their best to focus on precision and freshness.

“The wines have transparency,” says Nick Gislason, the winemaker of Screaming Eagle, which made easily one of the best wines of the vintage with incredible finesse and composure. “You can see inside the wine.”

Gislason also mentioned that they were tied to an early harvest almost from the beginning. “The 2015 forced your hand. You had to pick early.”

The top winemakers had no choice but to be very prudent with their fermentations and macerations. “I dialed back on the wood; otherwise, you would have had a wine like three lanes on a highway with alcohol, tannin and wood,” says Marc Gagnon of Bryant Family Vineyards, which produced wonderful 2015s under the main and Bettina labels.

Of course, not everyone successfully navigated the 2015 vintage. We found a number of jammy, old-school reds, but for the most part, our tastings were impressive. Many of the 2014s and 2016s we tasted were equally impressive, if not more so, as they show better finesse and a more linear quality with respect to the 2015s. As always, it’s hard to make generalizations.

Having said that, some people say that their 2015 was their best ever. “Personally, I have been around longer than just about anyone else in this business,” says Tim Mondavi of Continuum. “I think my 2015 is the best wine we ever made. Everything evolved into this great wine.”

Below are all the California wines we have tasted so far this year, almost 700 in total. It’s mostly 2015s from Napa Valley, but there are other vintages and a mix of whites and reds from other AVAs in the state. — CEO/Editor James Suckling