A story made full-circle, entrepreneur Eric Yuan has his Napa journey complete. Guided by legendary winemaker Phillip Titus and renowned Viticulturist Garrett Buckland, his brand Acumen Wines has established an estate that features 116 organically certified acres of vines, spread across two vineyards on Napa Valley’s Atlas Peak. The Acumen team makes a small portfolio of estate-grown wines, with a focus on mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc as well as Sauvignon Blanc.
Winemaker Phillip Tutus describes this region as “remote and extremely difficult to plant.” Acumen acquired its first vineyard on Atlas Peak in 2012. Originally planted in 1992, and featuring 32 acres of vines with a northeast exposure, the Attelas Vineyard was the ‘home vineyard’ of Dr. Jan Krupp, predating his famed Stagecoach Vineyard by three years. In 2014, Acumen expanded its estate program with the acquisition of the Edcora Vineyard, which features 84 acres of vines 350 feet higher up on Atlas Peak.
I adored both of the new release wines by Acumen, both coming from the outstanding 2021 vintage. The 2021 Acumen Wines ‘PEAK’ Cabernet Franc (OB, 95) which is rich and viscous with serious tension and herbal accents. I absolutely love these new wines and learn more at https://www.acumenwine.com. Here are my reviews of the new Acumen Wines.
2021 Acumen ‘Mountainside’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Mountainside’ comes mostly from their estate ‘Attelas Vineyard’ which is set at 1300 feet. Inky in the glass, this unveils loads of black currants and blackberry fruit flavors with stony minerals and tar accents on the palate. Refined and generous, with good tension and refined tannins, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2039- 93
2021 Acumen ‘PEAK’ Cabernet Franc- The 2021 ‘PEAK’ Cabernet Franc is a gorgeous bottling made from famed winemaker Phillip Titus that has smaller parts Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) and Merlot (10%) blended in. This is a stunning wine with plenty of herbal tones on the palate. Rich cassis, red bell pepper, mocha and dark chocolate shavings all fill the palate alongside refined tannins and fantastic weight and tension. This offers some really good value. Drink 2024-2042- 95