2021 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an outrageously beautiful wine and also one of the wines of the year. A soaring, exotic bouquet makes a strong opening statement. Pliant and creamy, with mind-blowing textural finesse, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. Hard candy, mint, lavender, Kirsch and spice linger on the close. The 2021 possesses mind-blowing purity and exceptional finesse.

99 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

Possibly the best wine produced here since the terrific 2001 or 1991, Togni's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes across as rather cool and fresh, with gentle grace notes of mountain sage lending nuance to the predominantly red-berried fruit, tinged with cassis, mint and cedar. It's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and firm, with silky tannins and refreshing acids providing ample structure and amplifying the lingering, elegant finish.

98+ points Joe Czerwinski robertparker.com

An absolutely riveting Cabernet showing a deep ruby-purple colour. Gorgeously fragrant at the cork's pull with terrific violets and loads of black currants and dark dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied with chiselled, precise tannins that build and build on the palate. At this early stage, the wine is full of ripe blackberry and black currant fruits that harbour impressive clarity of flavours, growing even more expressive with beautiful sagebrush nuances. Philipp Togni remarked that this vintage reminds him of St. Julien. Indeed, it is incredibly aromatic, elegant, and structured, and it is also a complete and seamless wine.

100 points decanter.com

2021 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is a monumental release and one of the most important modern vintages from this iconic Spring Mountain estate, earning a perfect 100 points and cementing its place among the great age worthy Cabernets of the world. The Togni vineyard sits high above the Napa Valley floor on Spring Mountain, where elevation, cool nights and volcanic soils produce Cabernet Sauvignon of structure, freshness and restraint rather than excess ripeness. This is a profoundly classical Napa wine, shaped by site, season and a philosophy rooted firmly in Bordeaux tradition.

Philip Togni is one of Napa Valley’s true intellectuals. Trained in Bordeaux at Château Lascombes in Margaux, he returned to California in the late 1960s with a vision very different from the emerging Napa norm. He established his Spring Mountain estate in 1979, planting Cabernet Sauvignon alongside small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and committed himself to wines built for longevity, balance and complexity rather than immediate impact. Today, the estate remains family run, with daughter Lisa Togni deeply involved, and the winemaking philosophy unchanged. Fermentation is with wild yeasts, extraction is measured, ageing takes place in French oak with a high proportion of seasoned barrels, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2021 vintage is extraordinary. A long, even growing season delivered exceptional concentration without loss of acidity, perfectly suited to the Togni style. The aromatics are profound and layered. Cassis, blackcurrant and dark cherry form the core, surrounded by cedar, graphite and pencil shavings. Notes of violet, bay leaf and dried herbs lift the bouquet, while underlying mineral tones of crushed stone and volcanic ash give it a serious, almost austere edge. With air, further complexity emerges, tobacco leaf, cocoa, leather and subtle earth unfolding slowly and continuously.

The palate is commanding yet exquisitely controlled. Dense black fruit flows through firm, finely etched tannins that feel architectural rather than heavy. Flavours of cassis, black plum and dark berry are woven tightly with savoury spice, mineral earth and restrained oak. The acidity is bright and perfectly integrated, giving the wine lift, length and remarkable freshness for its depth. The finish is extraordinarily long, resonant and layered, lingering with graphite, dark fruit and savoury complexity. This is a Cabernet built for decades, not years. While it can be approached with extended decanting, its true greatness will be revealed over twenty to thirty years, with top bottles comfortably exceeding that horizon.

This perfect 100 point score recognises not just power, but proportion, pedigree and intellectual depth. It is Napa Valley Cabernet seen through a classical lens, disciplined, serious and timeless.

Best paired with roast beef, lamb, venison, game, mushroom driven dishes or aged hard cheeses, ideally shared with time and attention. The 2021 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is not just a great vintage, it is a defining statement from one of Napa’s most principled and enduring estates.