I love telling great winemaker stories. Superstar winemaker Aaron Pott has steadily become one of the famed names in Napa. A world of wine awaited Aaron who built an illustrious winemaking resume as he took his studies at University of California, Davis, across the pond to Bordeaux, serving as winemaker at famed Right Bank house Château Troplong Mondot and later director of Château La Tour Figeac.
Aaron wanted to return to the Napa Valley and make world class Cabernet Sauvignon there, Aaron served as Beringer’s “flying winemaker” making wine in France, Italy and Chile, later taking over as winemaker at St. Clement in 2001. Aaron then was honored to become winemaker at famed property Quintessa in 2004 which was the same year that he brilliantly purchased a 76 acre (.2 acres planted) property on Mt. Veeder and began to develop their own vineyards. 2007 marked the birth of Pott Wines and as the first vintage of Incubo was created. The rest has been history as critics across the globe has lauded these beautiful wines.
I haven’t had the chance to try these in several years and I was blown away with the consistency across the board. First off, the 2019 Pott Wines ‘Twenty Meters’ Viognier (OB, 93) is one of the great renditions of Napa Viognier that I have tasted over the past year. Fresh, viscous and beautifully textured, I adore the range imparted here. I was absolutely blown away with the 2019 Pott Wines ‘Agnes Soret’ Cabernet Franc (OB, 96) which is one of the finest Cabernet Franc wines that I have tasted in the past year. This wine simply screams terroir and varietal typicity. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://www.pottwine.com/ Here are my tasting notes for the new Pott Wines.
2019 Pott Wines ‘Twenty Meters’ Viognier- Crisp and wonderfully viscous, the 2019 ‘Twenty Meters’ Viognier shows off a seamless texture and gorgeous sense of elegance. Pretty honeysuckle and white rose water tones combine with melon, green apple and nutty undertones on the palate. With beautiful length, this has some good cellaring potential picking up earthy and nutty tones as it ages. Drink 2021-2027- 93
2019 Pott Wines ‘Agnes Soret’ Cabernet Franc- Sourced from Mt. Veeder, this gorgeous wine shows off a massively dense color once in the glass. Layers of creme de violette and graphite mingle with anise and cassis cassis tones on this exotic bouquet. The palate is intense and massive with incredible poise and freshness. The pretty fruit quality is incredible here with layers of blueberry and blackberry flavors that are woven together with chocolate covered espresso bean and smoky minerals with firm tannins holding everything in place on the palate. Deep and intense, truly not for the faint of heart, the scintillating new ‘Agnes’ Soret’ really needs a few more years of bottle age to fully show its stuff. But what massive potential this has! Drink 2023-2040- 96
2018 Pott Wines ‘Space & Time’ Red Wine- The thrilling ‘Space & Time’ is an extraordinary new bottling by superstar winemaker Aaron Pott. Once on the nose this takes on layers of rich cassis, blackberry cordial and mocha tones alongside tar and graphite with exotic spices on this beautiful bouquet. The palate shows incredible freshness and verve with beautiful tension. Layers of chocolate covered espresso bean and black currants march on parade with minerals, creosote and sandalwood alongside elegant tannins. The length here is really gorgeous. Stunning to enjoy in its youth, this has another twenty plus years ahead of it. Drink 2023-2045- 96
2018 Pott Wines ‘Incubo’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The dense and inky 2018 ‘Incubo’ is a really impressive effort by Pott Wines. Brazen and bold, once on the nose this shows beautiful violets that artfully combine with espresso bean, blueberry compote, volcanic ash and creosote tones that all take shape in the glass. The palate is very refined and elegant, with silky tannins that line a massive core of dark fruits. With more air, dark chocolate shavings and Turkish coffee tones emerge, with shades of menthol, adding to the intrugue. A long-ager, this has some incredible potential and is even sinfully good at the two year mark. Drink 2023-2045- 96