The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Headlines

• Even if it hadn’t been on the heels of one of the most challenging, if not the most challenging, vintages of all time in 2020, 2021 would stand on its own as outstanding. 
  
• Yes, the vintage was low-yielding because of ongoing drought conditions, but that also meant small berries full of intensity and structure, which led to flavorful, delicious wines that will age. (Happily, unlike certain other regions, “low-yielding” doesn’t necessarily mean higher prices, as producers in Napa remain sensitive to the mushiness of consumer demand--but it does mean limited supply.)
  
• Harvest 2021 was smooth and uneventful, just what winemakers needed after the dual nightmares of pre-vaccine COVID-19 restrictions and widespread wildfires that each hit at exactly the wrong time in 2020.
  
• Trade organization Napa Valley Vintners describes 2021 well: “the joy is back.” Rightfully, the vibe about this vintage was entirely and deservedly emotional.

You Can Taste the Joy

• White wine grapes started to be picked on July 30 and reds on August 31, dates that felt very early given traditional norms, but align with a long pattern of harvests happening earlier and earlier in the Napa Valley (a spell completely broken in 2023, but that story still remains to be told). 
  
• Harvest was not rushed or chaotic; it did not have the stress of fires or smoke or having to distance your workers — it was as ideal as they come. You can taste the time growers and winemakers had to get the grapes exactly where they wanted before picking. 
  
• "The 2021 vintage looks to be incredibly strong. If I had to pick one attribute of the 2021 vintage that marks the year, for me, it would definitely be the structure,” said Thomas Rivers Brown, who makes Schrader Cellars and Double Diamond, among other Napa Valley Cabs. “I think what you're going to see from this vintage is intensely colored wines, lots of palate impact and abundant, mouth-coating, ripe tannins. These wines will benefit from a few years in the cellar to open up.”
  
• Being a lower-yielding vintage, there were no logistical gymnastics to go through on the cellar side to make tank space or move things around unnecessarily. This gave small producers the same advantages of those with more resources, not having to juggle for space or rush things through. 
  
• Winemaker Jean Hoefliger calls 2021 “a legacy vintage.” With the weather warm but not hot, the wines are juicy but precise. Drinkers who like freshness with ageability are going to be very, very happy.
  
• Every region of the Napa Valley enjoyed an outstanding harvest in 2021. From cooler-climate Carneros (where Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the norm), to hotter, higher Howell Mountain, known for producing structured, tannic Cabernet Sauvignons, there are great wines to be found across the board.

General Notes for Buyers

• You really can’t go wrong across the category, but 2021 is an important vintage to buy not only because it’s great, but because there isn’t much 2020 Napa Valley Cab and there won’t be a ton of 2022 at this caliber either. The end of the 2022 harvest was hot for days, and while the wines will be good, they might not be as outstanding bottle-for-bottle as the 2021s.

• Those looking to invest in the 2021 vintage will do well sticking to well-known Napa Valley wines, which should continue to increase in value given their ageability and quality. Fans of Cabernet in particular will be rewarded, with styles ranging from rich and ripe to more restrained, depending on producer picking decisions.

• Indeed, this year’s Premiere Napa Valley reflected the excitement around the 2021s. Former Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits Worldwide Chairman Jamie Ritchie observed, “the 2021 vintage is clearly great, and is going to be in very strong demand,” as demonstrated by what he termed the “boisterous bidders,” who showed enthusiasm from first lot to last. The average bottle price of these 2021 reds at Premiere was $295, up 26% from last year’s price per bottle of $234.

• As the standard bearers for collectors, Napa Valley wines remain high in price and demand, with prices rising slowly and steadily over time. Silicon Valley Bank’s 2023 Direct to Consumer Wine Report, which looks at all the wines being made in the Napa Valley (not just the collector-level Premiere wines), showed that the average price of a bottle of wine made in Napa County sells for an average of $108 a bottle, up 19% from 2022. (In neighboring Sonoma County the average is $57.)

These 2021 Napa Cabs Should Age Beautifully

• Given 2021’s ideal climate, which provided winemakers with the ability to make the wines they wanted to make, the vintage should age extremely well, with enough acidity for the wines to remain fresh over the long haul. 

• The 2018 and 2019 vintages were similarly impressive and age-worthy. 2017, 2020 and 2022 were hotter and, depending very much on the producer, built for earlier consumption than 2021.

Producers Who Nailed The Vintage

• Look for Cabernet Sauvignons from AXR, Denali and The Debate, all made by Hoefliger. 
  
• Maayan Koschitzky’s La Pelle continues to show tremendous elegance and refinement in 2021. Koschitzky notes of his 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that, “There is a dark tone, unlike in 2019, which was a bit softer and sweeter. 2021 is more structured, similar to 2016, with great integrated acidity reminiscent of the 2018 vintage.”
  
• Di Constanzo’s 2021 Caldwell Vineyard is outstanding, while Quintessa continues to be at the top of its game (even releasing a remarkable 2020). Cliff Lede’s 2021 Cabs are beyond impressive, from its standout Beckstoffer To Kalon to an inaugural Rhythm Cabernet Sauvignon that reflects its Stags Leap District estate.
  
• A small producer atop Howell Mountain that should be on your radar is ADAMVS, while Lail and Inglenook are always worth buying.
  
• One of the best bang-for-your-buck producers year-in and year-out remains Turnbull. There’s also value to be found from Hess Collection, Brendel Wines and Sequoia Grove.

New Producers On The Scene

• There are always new wine brands being launched in the Napa Valley. Newish names to look out for include Morisoli Vineyards (longtime growers now making a bit of wine), Royal Prince (its Reserve Cab is a steal at $55), L’Envolée, Almacerro (with Francoise Peschon making the wines), Cervantes Family Vineyards, Heimark (another Francoise Peschon), Harbison (Jean Hoefliger making the wines), Complant (from Daniel Baron, formerly of Silver Oak, and his son Sam, winemaker at Ashes & Diamonds) and Fortunate Son (something new from Hundred Acre’s Jayson Woodbridge).

• A few French houses are also beginning to release new Napa Valley wines. Pym-Rae on Mount Veeder is the Napa Valley outpost of the Tesseron family of Bordeaux’s Château Pontet-Canet. Cathiard Vineyard, in the Mayacamas Mountains west of St. Helena, is run by Florence and Daniel Cathiard of Château Smith Haut Lafitte. 
  
• It’s not only the French making impeccable Napa Valley wines: Australia’s Penfolds continues to turn out beautiful Cabs, from its Bin 149 blend of Napa Valley and South Australia Cab, to Bin 704, which is purely from Napa Valley.

On The Ground, There’s No More “Normal”

• With the 2023 harvest winding down, one that was both bountiful and high in quality, but also very drawn out compared to recent years, the buzz throughout the valley is all about how there’s no such thing as normal any more. One year may be unseasonably hot with the vintage finished by end of September; the next year things might be cool and steady with harvest still going at Thanksgiving. 

• While adaptability has always been important, it’s now the name of the game. Looking back on 2021, it felt as though conditions in California were on a never-ending trajectory of warmer and hotter. But from the vantage point of 2023, it doesn’t feel that way anymore – California’s drought is over, and temperatures are no longer on a one-way trajectory upwards.