99

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an outrageously beautiful wine and also one of the wines of the year. A soaring, exotic bouquet makes a strong opening statement. Pliant and creamy, with mind-blowing textural finesse, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. Hard candy, mint, lavender, Kirsch and spice linger on the close. The 2021 possesses mind-blowing purity and exceptional finesse. 12/2023

98+

Joe Czerwinski

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

Possibly the best wine produced here since the terrific 2001 or 1991, Togni's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes across as rather cool and fresh, with gentle grace notes of mountain sage lending nuance to the predominantly red-berried fruit, tinged with cassis, mint and cedar. It's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and firm, with silky tannins and refreshing acids providing ample structure and amplifying the lingering, elegant finish. My visit to this Spring Mountain outpost almost didn't happen. Torrential rains blew through the night before, downing numerous trees and cutting power to big swathes of Napa Valley. Fortunately, by the time I headed up the mountain, most of the trees across the road had been cleared. The one exception I was able to squeeze under in my low-slung Toyota Prius rental. The winery was without electricity, but after a short talk about the 7.5 inches of rain that he said had fallen over the previous 24 hours, 97-year-old Philip Togni fired up the generator and we went down to the cellar to taste. Togni has 10.5 acres of vines on the slopes of Spring Mountain, with the oldest current vines planted in 1985. In principle, the vines are dry farmed, but Togni confesses that he might use water at times just to hold the sugar levels back if he feels like they're racing ahead of tannin ripeness. Tanbark Hill now accounts for about one-third of the production; it's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, while the estate bottling typically includes small proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wines have been unfiltered and unfined since 1988. The 2021s are the current release, but the 2022s won't be far behind (usually offered in February), as the wines are normally bottled in late June or early July. And not to be missed for folks who haven't been long-time collectors is Togni's library release, typically 10 and 20 years after the vintage. The 2014 was showing very well, as the wines often do after 10 or more years of cellaring. 07/2024