2013 White Rock Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Laureate Napa Valley 750 ml

Tiny-Production, Mailing-List-Only

Tucked away in the eastern hills of Napa Valley sits White Rock Vineyards, a site with such a distinct personality that it cannot neatly fit into any larger appellation, but functions instead like a monopole. Since the late 1990s, owner Henri Vandendriessche’s two sons have been in charge of winemaking and farming. His son Christopher spent time in Burgundy and Bordeaux, making wine at Château Pape Clément, and eventually alongside John Kongsgaard and David Ramey, before taking the winemaking reins at home in 1999. The family is quietly producing some of the most fascinating and collectible wines in Napa — bottles that offer power and opulence, but always with freshness and nuance. This White Rock “Laureate” showcases the extraordinary 2013 vintage in all its glory, with structure, depth, and richness. This Cabernet has always been reserved for the winery’s mailing list — until today. A mere 300 cases were produced, and we have 50 offered at $100 per bottle. Discover a wine that ranks among the best I have tasted in years. Secure your share now.

Visiting White Rock Vineyards is like stepping back into old Napa — you won’t find an extravagant tasting room, just a focus on hard work and quality. And at the root of this hard work is winemaker Christopher Vandendriessche, who at first resisted following in the footsteps of the family business. His parents Henri and Claire bought White Rock in 1977, a unique property hidden away off of Soda Canyon Road where the predominant soils are compressed volcanic ash. It is a breathtaking and remote property first planted in 1871, and its varying exposures and elevations create a series of microclimates that add to the complexity of the wines.

After earning a degree in physics, Christopher took up a keen interest in fermentation technology. Before long, he was off to Burgundy and Bordeaux, where he landed an unbelievable opportunity to work at Château Pape Clément. The year was 1995, and the winery was in transition. The new proprietors embarked on transforming what was an underperforming château into what is now a revered and exalted property. Christopher was treated to a front-row seat to the makings of a state-of-the-art cellar — not to mention he had the job of re-corking bottles that collectors brought back to the château, affording him the opportunity to taste vintages dating back to the 1950s.

When Christopher returned to Napa, he became assistant winemaker to the now-legendary John Kongsgaard, while also assisting David Ramey — learning the ins and outs of the former’s experimental style and the latter’s classical approach to winemaking. Before becoming winemaker at White Rock, he traveled once more to Rioja, to lend all he’d learned in Bordeaux to help transform and modernize the cellars at Remelluri.

Finally, in 1999, Christopher landed home and began his life’s work. White Rock is truly like its own monopole — a site with so much personality that it can’t be characterized by any of the Napa appellations, acting as its own lieu-dit. The property is a patchwork of tiny microclimates that ripen at different times and show themselves to be distinctly different from one other. Some parcels of the vineyard that sit a stone’s throw away from one another are picked a full two months later than their neighbors.

After a few years getting to know the vineyards and wines, a few particular blocks struck Christopher as demanding of their own label. These blocks come from the tops of the hillsides and are the most powerful and richest of all the blocks. It is these hillside blocks that now make up Laureate. One hillside provides dark fruit — black plum and black cherry — while another provides more red-fruited, brighter notes of cherry and strawberry. The intensity of the fruit is tempered by a fresh acidity that never has to be adjusted in the winery, and an underlying current of graphite, licorice, and briar.

The White Rock Vineyard wines have always been among my favorites for their nuance, density, and longevity. They are approachable in youth but will reward you for patience. They are distinctly Napa in their opulence and ripeness but always balanced with freshness and with a unique terroir in the glass only possible from a site of such caliber. The Laureate is only available to members of the White Rock Vineyards mailing list, and now to Wine Access members. Secure your share now.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Conlin DipWSET

Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma

Stage 2 Master of Wine Student