2001 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

Bright ruby. Deep, smoky aromas of berry liqueur, violet, spice cake and bitter chocolate. Lush on entry, then rather penetrating but slightly green in the middle palate, with dry flavors leading to rather tough, drying tannins. I recall that the 2000 version of this wine also seemed tougher in bottle than it did from barrel.

An utterly perfect wine that exemplifies this extraordinary vintage for North Coast Bordeaux varietals is the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder, which comes from the Jackson family’s Veeder Peak Vineyard. Unfortunately, slightly less than 300 cases were produced, so availability is limited. A dense opaque blue/purple color is followed by notes of lead pencil shavings, ink, blueberry liqueur, raspberries and black currants. The wine is super intense as well as extremely full-bodied and opulent with great structure, purity and density. (I know this sounds weird, but when I smelled and tasted it, it reminded me of the 2010 La Mission Haut Brion that I had tasted a month earlier, no doubt because of its volcanic/hot rock-like character.) This phenomenal wine is a modern day legend from Napa. Still a youngster in terms of its development, it should hit its peak in another 5-6 years and keep for 30+. ||Winemaker Chris Carpenter, who has worked for the late Jess Jackson for many years, hit pay dirt at Lokoya in nearly every vintage. Certainly these 2001s have aged magnificently over the last decade. These 100% Cabernet Sauvignons are aged for 18-22 months in 100% new French oak and are bottled with no fining or filtration.||Tel. (707) 948-1968; Fax (707) 944-2824 Wine Advocate.June, 2011

Saturated ruby. Port-like aromas of roasted dark berries, kirsch, licorice and menthol. Dense, broad and muscular, with a strong core of sweet black fruits and menthol. The fullest in the mouth today of these 2001s, but finishes with substantial mouthclenching tannins.