From brothers Stu and Charlie Smith comes their 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain, a precise blend of 81.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7% Cabernet Franc, and 0.4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak, with only 1,652 cases produced, this wine showcases the meticulous dry farming of their 15.4-hectare vineyard at a 2000ft elevation, with vines dating back to 1971. The 2021 vintage is yet another testament to their mastery, offering a purity and elegance that define these Cabernets, with impeccable structure for long-term cellaring. In 2021, the tannins are firm, soaring, built like sky-scrapers, yet remarkably well-integrated. The nose offers a beautiful black cherry and red currant potpourri, mingling with pressed wildflowers, sage, capsicum, and tobacco leaf. Juicy plum fruit intertwines with a graphite minerality, and while there’s notable density to the fruit, a fine backbone of crunchy acidity imparts a stunning lightness and lift. Readers seeking Napa Cabernets from the 2021 vintage with serious cellaring potential should consider stocking up on Smith Madrone's offerings, as these '21s are true cellar-worthy gems. ~ 97 Decanter
A Cabernet that exemplifies how the variety became so popular: classic, structural, aromatic, and finessed. An impossible find for the price, enjoy now for palate cleansing structure, or continue to age for deeper pleasure. ~ 97 Wine Enthusiast
This is a wine that I will leave open on the counter and revisit over the next four to five days, expecting it to continue to open wider and wider on each successive day. Winemaker Charles Smith brings his fifty plus years of experience with Spring Mountain fruit to bear here, and he clearly opts for letting a long haul type of vintage be exactly that. It is classic in every sense, and as it has always been, it is a crazy value. Though you could go in early, I definitely recommend laying this down. If you save birth year wines to celebrate a child’s or grandchild’s achievements twenty plus years up the road, this is just the sort of thing you are looking for. You won’t find another Napa Cabernet of this quality for this price. Contains approximately 18% Cabernet Franc and a dash of Petit Verdot. ~ 97 Wine Review Online
Grapes grown on untilled soils in a steep, dry-farmed mountain vineyard create a plush blend of 81.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17.7% Cab Franc with a small portion of Merlot. Aged 18 months in (65% new) French oak, it shows black-peppered dark plum, green bell pepper, sage, and mint, amounting to a spice box of flavor: Midway, blue fruit emerges with creamy vibrancy and finishes with intensity, ~ 95 The Tasting Panel
A staunch defender of the restrained, elegant style of Napa reds made in the 1970s, yet with a little more body and ripeness than wines from that era. Tasty, tangy black cherries and blackberries with accents of bay leaves, black olives, cedar and star anise. Firm tannins, good acidity and the potential for aging. Drinkable now, but best from 2029. ~ 94 James Suckling
The outstanding 2021 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant, well-structured new wine that is built to age. Once on the nose this takes on anise and milk chocolate tones with wet stone, fresh thyme and shades of black currant cordial that all meld in the glass. The palate is refined and poised with a great core of black fruit flavors. Generous and delicious now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen years. ~ 93 Owen Bargreen
Marked on the nose by subtle herb and floral notes, the cherry-scented 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to full-bodied in the mouth, framed by firm tannins that promise a long evolution. Thankfully, the tannins are ripe and silky on the finish, where that dusty quality is joined by attractive hints of licorice. It's a classic Spring Mountain Cab, capable of 20 years of cellaring. ~ 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This cuvee always has a Bordeaux like vibe, and the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District is no exception, revealing a semi-opaque ruby hue as well as classic Cabernet notes of darker currants, cedar pencil, green tobacco, and damp earth. Reminding me of the estate's 2016, it has a very classic, medium-bodied, balanced profile, ripe and integrated tannins, and outstanding length. It picks up more floral and rose petal notes with time in the glass and is just a classy, old-school styled beauty that grows on your with time in the glass. It should keep for two decades in cold cellars. ~ 92 Jeb Dunnuck
