Mission Codename For the brave
”..so beautiful. Dreamy. Best ever?”
If you and Sir Mix-a-Lot share a commonality of liking them real big and juicy, you better double up on this one.
It’s 99 points big. Firmly planted at #12 James Suckling’s list of the top 100 wines.
And if Sir Suckling doesn’t impress you much, consider a pair of 97s from Jeb and Decanter. The former saying “as top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon goes, it’s a terrific value”.
And while this “best ever” release is currently slated to drop on October 28th we have it today for a price that seems dreamy itself.
Last time we secured just SEVEN cases. This time? Not much more, so you can bet it will not last long.
Made by the talented Chris Carpenter (Lokoya, Cardinale, La Jota…) Our price is (bleep) and way, WAY below his other wines but you still get the same full-throttle style, towering structure, and overall neuron-blasting enjoyment factor.
Chris has been making great wines for years now, and they always come stacked with 95+ scores from the critics. If you want to learn more about him, here’s a great read.
Mt. Brave is a younger project, and comes from what was once the Chateau Potelle Vineyard “VGS”. If you’re old enough to remember Potelle, you already know what a special property it is - and the rugged hillside fruit produces “Very Good $hit” to this day.
It’s massively concentrated, with skyscraper structure, and mouthcoating OMG-hell-yes richness. An avalanche of ripe blackberries, créme de cassis and kirsch, candied walnut, violet, tobacco, graphite, and roasted espresso. Ripe tannins, incredible purity of fruit, with a long finish. Pure opulence, and even at this young age it shows out. But give it 5-10 years and you might get a 100 pointer out of it…
Serious Cab drinkers skipping this one is almost unimaginable. Like AJ Soprano getting a big plate of his mom’s spaghetti and refusing to eat it for some strange reason. Get some and stash it somewhere dark and cool for a few years. You’ll be happy you did.
99 Points – James Suckling “A fabulous wine of focus and polish with very fine tannins that caress your palate and give great length to the finish. Medium to full body. The aromas of violets and currants are so beautiful. Dreamy. Best ever? A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot Give it three to four years to soften.”
97 Points – Decanter “Winemaker Chris Carpenter says that his Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder is intended to serve as a counterpoint to the La Jota Cabernet, which is from Howell Mountain, but that each wine showcases a softer expression of mountain Cabernet, and one that is poised for earlier drinking for collectors who stash bottles of the single vineyard Cabernet wines from Lokoya in their cellar. The soils atop Mt. Veeder are volcanic and sedimentary, and two sites provide the grapes for Mt. Brave. One is the Mt. Brave Vineyard, formerly Chateau Potelle Vineyard, and the site is above the fog line on the northern part of Mt. Veeder, where the soils are well-draining, and yields are generally two tons per acre in good vintages. The other is Veeder Peak Estate. Each site is about 24ha. This blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot was aged 23 months in 80% new French oak. Super fragrant with black fruits, black cherry, and graphite minerality with violets and cherry liqueur undertones. Full-bodied with pronounced tannins that have a chalkiness about them, balanced by very soft and supple fruit that makes this wine so approachable in its youth. An extended finish is marked by blue fruit and pronounced garrigue, blue agave syrup, sage, and crushed cocoa nibs. Drinking window 2024-2045.”
97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc. It’s a classic Mountain Cabernet with full-bodied richness and ample, although velvety, tannins as well as pure cassis and currant-like fruits, gorgeous mid-palate depth and opulence on the palate, and beautiful complexity in its tobacco, graphite, and bouquet garni-like nuances. It’s another remarkable wine from Carpenter that has some upfront accessibility today yet deserves 3-4 years in the cellar. It will have two decades of overall longevity, and as top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon goes, it’s a terrific value. Drink 2027-2047,”
What the Winery Says
2021 Mt. Veeder Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Chris Carpenter
- Varietals
- 93.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 0.5% Petit Verdot
- Vintage
- 2021
- Alcohol
- 15.1%
- Appellation
- Mount Veeder, Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Mt. Brave Vineyard
- Harvest Dates
- September 21 - October 2
- Aging
- 22 months
- Barrels
- 84% new French oak