Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2021

100 points James Suckling: "Insane aromas of black currants, crushed stones, violets, and sweet dark tobacco. Black truffle. Full-bodied with superb depth of fruit and plush and chewy tannins that give tension and length. It reminds me of the 1975 La Mission Haut Brion because of the stone, iodine and purple fruits. Love. Made from 100% cabernet sauvignon. 883 cases produced. Needs four or five years to come together. (Nov 2023)"

99 points Decanter: "Since 1995, Lokoya has produced Cabernet from the Veeder Peak Estate at 548m on the western ridges of the Mayacamas Mountains. This is a do-not-open wine for until at least 2026. Full-bodied with palate-arresting tannins that are super-compact, long, and so densely pixelated they etch themselves into every nook and cranny on the palate. Only a minute later does your mouth find release as this thread of crunchy acidity begins to sweep away the powerful tannins to reveal the underlying blue fruit and violet aromatics that are so beautifully pure and youthful. Simply put, tuck it away for several years and then, if you can, explore bottles every few years until your stash runs out. In the low-yielding 2021 vintage, the skin-to-juice ratio is such that this may prove to be one of the longest-lived Lokoya wines yet, given the intensity of the tannin and the freshness of the underlying acidity. Chris Carpenter makes the Lokoya wines, and the label is owned by the Jackson Family. There are four 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the portfolio, each from a different mountain: Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mt. Veeder. The winemaking is the same for all the wines, with mostly native yeast fermentation, pump-overs by hand, malolactic fermentation in barrel and ageing for 22 months in 90% new French oak. What separates these wines is not style but place. Carpenter believes that fine Napa Valley Cabernet wines are not only defined by the soils of their sites but also by the Bay Area Pacific breezes that roll in and out daily, cooling the valley from the south to the north in the evenings and from the north to the south in the mornings. These mountains define cooling as any place in the valley and the diurnal temperature shifts at higher elevations create an equilibrium where climatic fluctuations aren't as pronounced as fruit grown below the fog lines. Drinking window 2026-2045 (Jul 2024)"

98+ points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "Sourced from a single block of the estate Veeder Peak Vineyard (1,800 feet above sea level), Lokoya's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder boasts plenty of cedar, bay leaf and cherries on the nose. This wine shows a more linear nature than the other Lokoya bottlings, being full-bodied but streamlined, velvety and concentrated, with a long, richly textured finish. Drink 2026-2050 (Jul 2024)"

98+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "A massive, powerful, full-bodied beast of a wine that reminds me of a great vintage of Ch teau Latour with its structure and regal character, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder offers a beautiful bouquet of blackberries, wild cherries, iron, spring flowers, and wild scrub brush. It's concentrated, has massive extract and richness, no shortage of tannins, and a huge finish. It's not for the instant gratification crowd and needs 7-8 years of bottle age, but it will see its 30th birthday in fine form. Drink 2030-2051 (Dec 2023)"

98 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "Deep garnet-purple in color, the single-varietal 2021 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon needs a lot of shaking and swirling to coax out notes of tar, black pepper, and black truffle before breaking through to a core of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums, and boysenberry preserves plus a hint of hoisin. The full-bodied palate delivers impressive tension, with a rock-solid frame of ripe grainy tannins and powerful black fruits, finishing long and spicy. Drink 2027-2052 (Apr 2024)"