It was a glorious fall Friday afternoon as I descended upon the Napa Valley. HALL has been one of my favorite places to taste wine at prior to my career as a wine critic. It has now been nearly twenty years since I first visited the winery. Post-pandemic it had sadly been several years since I had tasted in person with HALL founding winemaker and president, Mike Reynolds. He shed some of his insights on the 2021 vintage, mentioning that “2021 was a difficult year because this was the last year of the drought and the vines didn’t have any extended soaking from rain which would give you ai deep root profile” he explained. “The water resources caused challenges and the ability to keep the vines irrigated was hard. As a result of all of that we saw exceptionally low yields with very small berries and tiny clusters. The wines were very dense and concentrated that I feel will have phenomenal agability over time. I think this will be in line with 2013.” I loved the 2013 HALL wines and as I tasted I noticed some similarities in terms of compactness, underlying finesse and massive concentration.
Mike describes HALL’s Cabernet Sauvignon program as “trying to showcases the different appellations and that is the essence of who we are. We want the wines that we produce at the winery to be expressions of place and specific vineyards.”
Truly one of the great wineries of Napa, HALL was founded in 1992 by Katheryn and Craig Hall. HALL’s Saint Helena estate is a must visit for anyone interested in wine. They offer world-class service and wine quality that will tempt the broadest of palates.
HALL also have two separate lines, WALT (focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and BACA (Focusing on Zinfandel) that are seriously good in their own rights. I have been blown away with the consistency of these wines, particularly in recent years. HALL has been known for making exceptional wines even in tough vintages. The new releases from 2021 were incredible. I think this is arguably the finest lineup of Cabernet Sauvignon that HALL has ever produced.
Do not miss out on the stunning 2021 HALL ‘Kathryn Hall’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 97) which is pillowy and soft with a refined mouthfeel. I am floored by the new 2021 HALL ‘Rainin VIneyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 100) which is a Cabernet perfected. Dense and massive, with decades of aging potential, this one really needs two plus hours of air if enjoying in its heady youth. I wanted to share my congratulations to the winemaking team at HALL for these unbelievable new wines. Learn more about these incredible wines at hallwines.com Here are the beautiful new wines by HALL.
2021 HALL ‘Coeur’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Coeur’ comes from Saint Helena and is a selection of some of their choicest sites in this appellation. The wine shows tar, pencil lead, mocha and anise on the nose with dark currants. The palate is fresh and polished with a smooth mouthfeel. Finishing long with pencil lead and medium-bodied dark fruits this is a beautiful with violet rose petal accents. This shows wonderful balance. Drink 2023-2035- 94
2021 HALL ‘1873’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 HALL ‘1873’ Cabernet Sauvignon is named after the first grapes documented on the HALL property come from this year. The wine comes from grapes sourced mostly the eastern Vacca hillsides. The palate is very rocky and stony on the palate, with serious power and underlying finesse. Dark currant cordial, mocha, cigar box and volcanic ash flavors all seamlessly come together on the palate. Drink 2023-2040- 96
2021 HALL ‘Katheryn Hall’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 HALL ‘Katheryn Hall’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a knockout bottling that follows an incredibly long line of this wine. Mainly coming from the Sacrache Vineyard, this wine displays beautiful dark florals on the nose alongside mocha, creme de cassis and exotic spices. The palate is soft, round and generous with a seamless texture, showing serious concentration and power. Finishing long with roasted figs, refined tannins and copious minerals, this is a silky, elegant Napa Cabernet that is already drinking beautifully. Drink 2023-2040- 97
2021 HALL ‘Jack’s Masterpiece’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Named after director of winemaking Mike Reynolds’s youngest son, the 2021 HALL ‘Jack’s Masterpiece’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a proprietary barrel selection wine made by the winemaking team. Very inky in the glass, this offers black rose petals notes on the nose with pencil lead, Asian spices, Turkish coffee and shades of black licorice. The palate is velvety and soft with serious concentration and great underlying finesse. Finishing very long, this will easily be a 20 year wine. Drink 2023-2043- 97
2021 HALL ‘Rainin’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Rainin Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from this small vineyard set on Diamond Mountain. This 8 acre site is set on iron rich volcanic soils on what was once a lush forest. Once on the nose this displays sweet pipe tobacco notes alongside espresso grounds, creme de violette and violets. Very inky and brooding in the glass, this takes on an opulent, pillowy texture once on the mouth that makes this truly a joy to drink. This powerful and dense yet very seamless throughout the drinking experience. Finishing exceedingly long, with heady dark and blue fruits, this stunning wine is nothing short of perfection in a bottle. Drink 2023-2045- 100
2021 HALL ‘Beller’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Beller’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from their estate vineyard on Mt. Veeder, as this is now the second edition of this wine. The wine is a selection of the best barrels from this 17 acre site which was planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon. An ultra-saturated color, the 2021 ‘Beller’ opens with roasted fig notes and black currants and graphite on the nose alongside cigar box, anise and allspice dusted huckleberry The heady aromatics brings you back to the glass for more enjoyment. The palate is plush and seamless with serious density, weight and as a massive black and blue fruit flavor profile. Loads of mouth-watering acidity and non-fruit flavors line this incredibly complex, stony, and mineral-laden wine that exudes class. Get your hands on this beauty while you can. Drink 2023-2045- 100
2021 HALL ‘Sacrache Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The Sacrache Vineyard was the first location that the HALL family purchased when they came to the valley back in 1995. This scenic location overlooks Rutherford and is set on volcanic, shallow soils which allows the vines to struggle. Exceedingly dark in the glass, the 2021 ‘Sacrache’ opens with aromatics of Turkish coffee, graphite, tar and blueberry compote. The palate is downright massive and dense, offering Turkish coffee grounds, scorched earth, mountain huckleberry and creme de violette flavors. Finishing very long, this is a head-turning effort that will live on for another twenty plus years to come. Drink 2023-2045- 100
2021 HALL ‘Montagna’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 HALL ‘Montagna’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Pritchard Hill, located on the slopes that rise on the southern side of Lake Hennessy. The site is lined with scrub brushes and is set on rocky soils at high elevation. A brooding black color, this offers serious viscosity and flavor density with plenty of stony character from this site. Creme de cassis, anise, tar and black licorice candy flavors combine with refined tannins on the palate. Give this beauty at least another year in the bottle before consuming. Drink 2024-2043- 97