| Producer | La Jota |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Howell Mountain |
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 123719 |
| Size | 750ml |
RNDC
2021 CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY
HISTORY
In the calm glow of Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain, surrounded by murmuring emerald forests and anchored by the original stone winery building, our winemaking team is inspired to be part of La Jota’s endurance. La Jota Vineyard Co. was founded in 1898 by newspaperman Frederick Hess, a Swiss immigrant.
He purchased 327 acres of a Mexican land grant and planted vineyards on a remote plateau. The rocky soils, high-elevation sun exposure, and abundant wind and fog had led Hess and other pioneers to believe the location could produce wines as distinctive as those in Europe. La Jota was one mile away from a vineyard planted ten years earlier by geologist Winfield S. Keyes. Both men achieved recognition for their wines at the 1900 Paris Exposition, bringing instant fame to Howell Mountain. Today, some 125 years later, we continue the legacy of crafting small-production wines that reveal intense fruit and indelible mineral complexity.
VINEYARDS AND ORGANIC FARMING
The La Jota Vineyard lies high upon a volcanic plateau, looking east over Napa Valley. Surrounded by pine, fir, oak and madrone trees, the estate stands out because of its cool, windswept climate and lean, volcanic soils. We began farming our estate vineyards organically in 2018, reached certification in 2023, and are now approaching regenerative accreditation. Here we look to vineyard blocks that produce soft-textured Cabernet Sauvignon for wines of earlier approachability, and where the decomposed granite soils of our W.S. Keyes Vineyard impart a pop of bright fruit character and broader tannins.
W I N E M A K I N G
We hand-harvested grapes into small, 30-pound boxes to prevent crushing, and then we brought them to the winery for hand-sorting. After destemming and light crushing, the must was cold-soaked for gentle color, flavor and tannin extraction. Winemaker Chris Carpenter fermented the juice with native yeast in a combination of open- and closed-top stainless steel tanks. Following gentle basket press, the wine underwent in-barrel malolactic fermentation, rounding the acidity and integrating the vanilla character of French oak (82% new). The wine was barrel-aged for 22 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
W I N E M A K E R ’ S C O M M E N T S
The 2021 season began with very little rain, and spring and summer were mild. Interestingly, because the heavy wildfire smoke during 2020 decreased the vineyards’ exposure to sunlight, the vines were set up to give us lower yields in the new season. So for 2021 there is less wine but just phenomenal character. This Cabernet Sauvignon is generous with ripe blackberry on toast and earthy notes of soil, sage, pine, and graphite. The midpalate is weighty and the finish delivers great length.
T E C H N I C A L N O T E S
B L E N D C O M P O S I T I O N
82% Cabernet Sauvignon
6.5% Cabernet Franc
5% Malbec
5% Merlot
2.5% Petit Verdot
H A RV E S T DAT E S
September 15 to October 2
F E R M E N T AT I O N
Native yeast fermentation
M A C E R AT I O N
20 Days
B A R R E L A G I N G
22 months in French oak
(82% new)
A L C O H O L B Y V O L U M E
15.1%
W I N E P H
3.64
W I N E A C I D I T Y
.61g/100ml
V I N E Y A R D S
La Jota Vineyard
W.S. Keyes Vineyard
A C C L A I M
98 Points – Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2023
“Incredibly concentrated, focused, insanely impressive… a powerful nose of darker currants, graphite, and savory herb aromas and flavors.”
HISTORY OF ACCLAIM
98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2023
97 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, November 2023
97 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, April 2024
2 0 2 0
Did not produce 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
2 0 1 9
96 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2022
95 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2022
94 + Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2021
2 0 1 8
97 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, January 2021
96 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2021
2 0 1 7
Did not produce 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon
2 0 1 6
97 + Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2018
96+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, January 2019
2 0 1 5
95 + Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2017
95 Points - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, February 2019
2 0 1 4
96 + Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, January 2018
95 Points - Robert M. Parker Jr., Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2016
2 0 1 3
95 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, February 2017
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