A few weeks back I had the chance to visit Cuvaison, one of the jewels of Carneros. The winery itself has sweeping views of the valley, as this is a truly gorgeous piece of the world. Wines have been made for a very long time by Steve Rogstad, who has a signature style of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that focuses on poise and texture. I have long admired these wines and fondly recall tasting some impressive early 2000s Chardonnay when I was in graduate school. It is hard to believe that this winery was first founded back in 1969. Then in1979 they acquired 400 acres of highly prized land north of San Pablo Bay in the Los Carneros district of Napa Valley which is a site that is highly influenced by fog and cooler temperatures from the bay.
The current release wines from Cuvaison were utterly fabulous. These wines have made my Top 100 list before for a good reason — they’re consistently great. I adored the new 2019 Cuvaison ‘ATS’ Chardonnay (OB, 95) which is dense and viscous with incredible weight and tension. This wine is best enjoyed at a warmer temperature for the full flavor range. Learn more about this outstanding producer at https://www.cuvaison.com and here are the killer top Chardonnay and Pinot Noir releases by Cuvaison.
2019 Cuvaison ‘ATS’ Chardonnay- The downright delicious 2019 ‘ATS’ is a barrel-selection wine sourced from Dijon Clone selection Chardonnay as well as Old Wente Clone Chardonnay and Clone 548. The wine shows sensational viscosity with a great veil of tension. Brioche, lemon zest, baking spice dusted pear and a seamless texture greets you, with an exceedingly long finish. Make sure to enjoy this at a warmer temperature as this is quite simply an exceptional wine by Steve Rogstad that has a long way to go in the cellar. Drink 2021-2036- 95
2019 Cuvaison ‘Adda’ Pinot Noir- A gogeous blend of Wadenswil 2A, 828 and Calera selection clone, the ‘Adda’ delivers a silky mouthfeel with downright delicious teaberry and cranberry fruit flavors that collide with orange rind and freshly tilled loamy, salty soils on the palate. Fresh and deep with a polished texture and salty undertones, enjoy this excellent effort over the next fifteen years. Drink 2021-2036- 94