Saintsbury: ‘Bigger isn’t better anymore’

When it comes to Napa Cabernet, “bigger isn’t better” anymore, according to David Graves of Saintsbury, who believes “the best is yet to come” from the region.

Francis Ford Coppola is keen for his Inglenook Estate to evolve while staying faithful to the past

Speaking to the drinks business during the Auction Napa Valley last weekend, Graves, who co-founded Saintsbury with the late Richard Ward, said:

“I think the pendulum is swinging away from big wines. Bigger isn’t better anymore and people are looking for more site specific expressions from the Napa Valley.

Joe Harden of Robert Mondavi Winery is seeking to make balanced, food friendly wines with a sense of place

“There are more tools to help grape growers and winemakers do that now and I honestly think the best is yet to come from the Napa Valley.

“The love of big, rich, ripe Cabernets is linked to the Baby Boomer generation. The future is for wines with more finesse and grace and less power.”

Joe Harden, a winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery, agrees with Graves, believing there is a better consumer understanding of and thirst for balance.

“Consumers are understanding what balance is and a middle ground between power and elegance is continuing to evolve.

“We’re a very traditional winery and our aim is to make balanced, approachable wines with a sense of place that go well with food,” he said.

“I think Napa wines are now being taken seriously on the world stage and the wines hold up incredibly well over time,” he added.

For Chris Phelps, associate winemaker at Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook, the trick is to evolve while staying faithful to the past.

In 2011 Coppola appointed Philippe Bascaules, who was recently made managing director of Bordeaux first growth Château Margaux, as general manager of the Rutherford estate.

“When Philippe arrived he wanted the wines to have more freshness, be more elegant and have lower alcohol, but it’s all about trying to keep the wheels on the bus and not change things too obviously.

“The wines made at Inglenook by John Daniel in the ‘50s and ‘60s are still some of the best in California and have incredible elegance and balance.

“It’s easy to create dark, sweet, hugely tannic, flashy Napa wines but they are of no interest to us. Our alcohol levels are modest by Napa standards,” Phelps said.

“There’s a timelessness about the estate, which I like. We’re not trying to prove anything and are trying to avoid extremes. When you have such a wonderful vineyard to work with it makes things so much easier.

“I think the deck is being reshuffled in Napa at the moment and people are pulling out of concentration and are making wines with more finesse and balance,” he added.