"...sehr intensive, reife und reiche Frucht, sehr warm, auch gewisse Frische, am Gaumen dann sehr konzentriert, vollreif, fleischig, dezent bitter" (09/2024)
Technical Sheet
The Drinks Business: 100 Punkte
"(Oakville, Napa Valley; 95% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 15.6% alcohol; aged 16 months in French oak, 85% of which was new; tasted in person with Luc Morlet at the CVBG press tasting; essentially the last part of the Oakville Valley to be planted though historically vines had been grown there; a terroir of gravel on a very fine-grained loamy subsoil, the alluvial deposits washed down from the Kalon Creek; picked four rows at a time with a team of 8 at night; naturally fermented in 600-litre French oak puncheons; unfined and unfiltered). Such an impressive wine, above all in this excellent vintage. The 2020 was fabulous, especially given the context of a difficult vintage, this is as brilliant in the context of an exceptional vintage (not least as there is no hint here of the drought conditions that were the challenge of this year). For me, alongside Cristina’s Signature and the Peter Michael wines, this is the pick of the US releases on La Place this year. And of those this is also perhaps the most Bordelais. Cedar. Black cherry, black currant, bramble, damson, a little walnut and coffee bean and perhaps a suggestion of fine first-press peppery olive oil. Violet, iris and iris bulb too. Pen ink. There’s staggering concentration here, and great density – the effect achieved by the wonderfully authentic Cabernet Sauvignon tannins whose fine granularity engages to fight with the external parameters of the palate, never allowing the wine to veer far from a supremely well-defined central spine. That might imply a wine that’s a bit severe. But that’s not at all the case here. For this is so silkily textured. The quality of the pixilating tannins is remarkable and that gives this an incredible clarity and crystallinity in the mid-palate for something with so much extract and concentration. And that, in turn, allows the fruit to dance and play, to glisten and glide, releasing sapidity and the Cabernet Franc’s herbal florality, above all with gentle aeration in the mouth. Exquisite already, but with the capacity to age glacially (this is more of a vin de garde than the more immediately accessible 2020). The length of my tasting note indicates my sheer enthusiasm. Joyous." (09/2024)
Decanter: 100 Punkte
This wine has blossomed into pure sophistication since I last tasted it. In the context of a vertical tasting of Cœur de Vallée wines going back to 2007, 2021 was a clear standout, showcasing exceptional structure. The 2020 vintage is one of the best wines from that challenging year in Napa, and the forthcoming 2022 is also excellent—but the 2021 is a masterful wine for both near-term enjoyment and long-term cellaring. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, Cœur de Vallée is native yeast fermented in stainless steel tanks and puncheons, then aged 16 months in up to 85% new French oak. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Luc Morlet sources barrels from Gautier Frères (Burgundy) and Darnajou (Bordeaux), believing that even at 5%, the Cabernet Franc contributes essential structure, complexity, and aromatic lift. Elegant, with deep concentration and staying power, this is a medium- to full-bodied wine featuring pure blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, nuanced by sagebrush, spearmint, and tobacco. Long and layered, with graphite minerality and firm, superfine tannins that soar in intensity on the mid-palate yet melt effortlessly on the mineral-laced finish. Just remarkable. When Luc Morlet came across this 9.7-hectare vineyard for sale in the Oakville AVA, he noticed an unnamed creek. In 2016, Constellation Brands received permission to name it To Kalon Creek. Morlet notes that the site is low-vigour, composed of 40–60% well-draining gravel, and planted to two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc. - Jonathan Cristaldi (01/2025) 
