Impressive, higher-end Napa cab that is sensationally smooth that delivers plush, hedonistic delights. All you demand from wine in this price neighborhood. $250
Despite its name, the vineyard is located on the valley floor nestled against the Mayacamas Mountains and west of St. Helena and next to the legendary Dr. Crane Vineyard. It includes 11 acres of cabernet sauvignon that yield silky tannins and rich cassis—redcurrant—pleasures.
Del Dotto is noteworthy for its innovative oak regimen. This wine aged in their “carved and grooved” American oak barrels made by cooper Alain Fouquet. “Carved and grooved” accentuates oak extraction of vanilla, coconut, sweet spice, and toast elements. The process creates roughly 30% more internal wood surface compared to smooth-stave barrels. It also provides micro-oxygenation to softens tannins and makes the wine smoother and creamier, especially with extended time in barrel.
The wine spend 23 months new American oak, but Del Dotto skillfully manages their oak program and this wine avoids the cartoonish, wood-splinters in your mouth trap. You do get plenty of oak, but in a refined and sophisticated way. In winemaking, oak can be thought of as a frame to a painting rather than the painting itself. Del Dotto’s use of oak creates a very nice, very elegant frame, but still allows you to enjoy the painting/wine. When you have outstanding fruit, you do not have to cover it up with pancake makeup oak.
Del Dotto is owned and run by Dave and Yolanda Del Dotto and their two children, Desiree and Giovanni. Their story begins in 1989 and over the ensuing years the family expanded holdings, procuring seven specially hand-selected vineyard sites in appellations located primarily in Napa Valley and Sonoma Coast. The winery is certified as a California Sustainable Winegrower. Although the winery is not certified organic, it does practice organically farmed principles—no chemical sprays or fertilizers, all weeding performed by hand or by resident sheep.
Del Dotto Vineyards St. Helena Mountain Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Centre Taransaud French Oak, Connoisseurs’ Series 2019: Deep ruby-garnet color; plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, coconut, allspice, graphite, toasted oak, leather, earth, spring flowers on the nose and palate. 15.2% ABV
Dry; polished tannins and structure; balancing acidity. Full, rich body. Smooth, velvety in the mouth. Wine is 100% cabernet sauvignon. The smoothness is extraordinary and outstanding, so you dwell at first on it before you begin to appreciate the subtle depth of the fruit. The use of oak is a masterclass in appropriateness and deft skill. On first pass, you think carved and grooved and 23 months is going to produce a wine-infused lumberyard. And then it does not. Del Dotto starts out with exemplarily Napa fruit, then conjures magic in the winery. Napa is a world-recognized producer of extraordinary wine. This is an example.
Pairing—You can enjoy this as a solo sipper, beyond that—grilled or roasted ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon, charcoal-grilled steaks, barbecue brisket, short ribs. Lamb and game, rack of lamb, roasted leg of lamb with rosemary/garlic, lamb shanks in red-wine reduction; venison, elk, wild boar. Osso buco, braised short ribs in red wine; rich, tomato-based ragùs, mushroom risotto. Delicate proteins likely will be overwhelmed or, at best, play a limp bit part in the culinary drama. Cheese—Aged cheddar (Cabot Clothbound), aged gouda, gruyère. Ossau-Iraty, San Andres, Eqenique, Manchego, Pecorino-style cheeses. Comté, Beaufort and other aged mountain cheeses. Avoid bloomy-rind soft cheeses (brie, camembert), fresh mozzarella, ricotta, young chèvre, pungent blue cheese.
