96 points - James Molesworth / Wine Spectator, August 2019
“Youthfully compact, with tightly wound black currant, bitter plum, and blueberry notes, this needs time to meld with the charcoal bay leaf and star streaks, but the mouthwatering cut on the finish suggests that won’t be a problem. Offers a long echo of juniper at the end. Best from 2023 through 2040. 2,250 cases made.–James Molesworth”
No. 2 - Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2019
Wine Spectator, December 2019
“Mayacamas is one of Napa's most celebrated and historic estates. Its stone winery, constructed in 1889 in the mountainous Mount Veeder appellation, remains in use to this day. And since the 1950s, though ownership has changed several times, little has changed about the winemaking. Winemaker Braiden Albrecht and consulting winemaker Andy Erickson utilize traditional techniques to yield a classic Cabernet style, implementing a combination of cement, open-top foudres, and stainless-steel fermentors before aging the Cabernet 32 months in neutral oak (20 months in large foudres and 12 in barriques). The result: a compact wine built on savory charcoal, bay leaf, tar, and juniper notes. 2,250 cases made.”