2013 Chad Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

Chad’s Perfect Storm … Antonio Galloni’s Napa Valley “Modern-Day Classic”

Antonio Galloni, Robert Parker’s hand-picked successor, may have said it best in a vintage report published last week, under the heading “2013 – A Modern-Day Classic.”

“The second year in the current drought cycle and precocious growing season produced powerful, inky wines with huge fruit, massive tannins and, most importantly, extraordinary pedigree. I expect the wines to evolve at a glacial pace.”

But as Chad explained, 2013 was extraordinary both qualitatively and quantitatively, and the second consecutive abundant harvest caught many mountain wineries by surprise — including one of the greatest names on Mt. Veeder.

Ever since he hatched the idea for CHAD, our winemaker buddy has been pretty good about not tooting his own horn. Even when he brought us the 2012 Private Reserve, purchased from a winery on Pritchard Hill that would go on to earn 100 points from Robert Parker, Chad just shrugged and said, “OK, so I got lucky.” When he locked into 200 cases from the phenomenal 2007 vintage of a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon — a wine that left Parker speechless, earning 97 points — Chad said he “just stumbled on the opportunity … by accident.”

But in the case of the 2013 vintage — which many, including Robert Parker, are comparing (favorably) with the sensational 2001 campaign — Chad just couldn’t help but give himself a gentle pat on the back. “It was a perfect storm, particularly in the mountain AVAs. I went out early, understanding what everyone was up against. I nailed it.”

Here’s how … and why.

The 2012 vintage, as you may recall, was a blessing for Napa Valley growers and wineries. After four consecutive short years, the harvest of 2012 was excellent for both quality and quantity. Anxious to repair tattered balance sheets, wineries brought in every cluster, exhausting the capacity of every tank and barrel they could buy and hold. When we returned to Napa in July 2013, we met Chad at the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company in St. Helena. It was at that breakfast meeting that our friend laid out the plan that would pay mammoth dividends two years later.

“Guys, if the weather holds up, 2013 is as big and as good as 2012. Yields could be double 2011, even on Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain. I know all the mountain wineries and I know how much they can hold. There’s no way in the world, regardless of quality, that many can bottle all of their 2013s. We still have to get through the next three months, but if we do, I’M GOING TO TOWN!”

The spring fruit-set was bountiful in 2013, and was followed by a mild but exceedingly dry summer (this was the second of four drought years). Almost no rain fell on the steepest slopes of Mt. Veeder. Typical yields at the top estates on the mountain are just 2 tons per acre. The late-September harvest of 2013 netted nearly 4.

Chad’s calculus couldn’t have been more precise. Nearly all of the blue-chip mountain wineries are built for efficiency. Yields are small and, as there have never been back-to-back harvests the size of 2012 and 2013, one of Mt. Veeder’s greatest names found himself with far more terrific small-berry clusters than he could possibly vinify and bottle.

His first call went to Chad. He wouldn’t have to make another!

The 2013 CHAD Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder is brilliant purple-black to the rim. Big, broad, and lavish aromatically, infused with classic mountain aromas of crushed blackberry and black raspberry, dried flowers, smoke, and graphite. Massively concentrated on the attack, filled with sweet blackberry preserves, tobacco, black currant, and sweet spice (50% new barrels), powerfully structured yet sleek and polished, the finish offers up excellent tension and grip, arguing cogently for a 10- to 20-year stay in a cool cellar.

Under the winery’s label: $85/bottle. This morning under CHAD? $27. Last call. 960 bottles are up for grabs.

• ABV 15.40%
• Enjoy right away
• % Cabernet Sauvignon