Premiere Napa Valley Session with Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW: 2019 Vintage Preview - Rich, Plush and Fantastically Pure
With just a few weeks to go before many of the 2019 Napa Valley Cabernets currently aging in barrels will be put to bottle, Robert Parker Wine Advocate wine critic and editor-in-chief Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW offers a preview of the 2019 vintage. An outstanding vintage in the pipeline, markedly different from 2018, the 2019s are shaping-up to be classic, ripe, plush and beautifully expressive. If 2018 emphasizes structure (tannins and acidity), then the hallmark of 2019 is firmly on fruit purity. Finding “a harmonious sense of seamlessness to the wines with ripe, plush and approachable textures in youth”, Perrotti-Brown has concluded that, “out of the barrel, many of the Napa 2019 reds are already flat-out delicious, and I imagine they will be hard to resist from the moment they are in bottle. The way they are tracking, many of these wines have the backbone and fruit concentration to offer good aging potential too - 25 to 35 years or more for some of the more structured wines.” What’s more, there appears to be a good consistency of quality in 2019, from bottom to top, and decent yields to match, which is an important point considering the tiny 2020 vintage that is to follow. A vintage that Napa wine lovers are going to want to hop on as soon as the offers come through, this is a masterclass not to miss.
Moderator:

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW,
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Vintners:

Renee Ary,
Duckhorn Vineyards

Aaron Pott,
Fe Wines

Michael Eddy,
Louis M. Martini Winery

Sally Johnson,
Pride Mountain Vineyards

Robert Smith,
Quixote Winery