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Founder and Winemaker John Williams is well known for holding a generous library of his own wines, as well as the wines of other noted producers and he delights in sharing both the wines and their backstories with appreciative guests. Having made wine in the Napa Valley since 1975, he’s understandably knowledgeable regarding vintage in the terroir he calls home. Over the years he’s championed growing seasons that were critically panned, always deeply committed to his belief that a tough vintage is just a year where a skilled producer really needs to get it right in the vineyard.
In 2021 the Napa Valley received 12 inches of rain. No one will argue that it wasn’t an extremely challenging vintage. Normal rainfall for our Valley is 33 inches, making ’21 a very dry year — the kind of year when we truly realize the benefits of our farming philosophy. Vines grown without irrigation in healthy living soils are deeply rooted, naturally capable of pulling what they need from deep, deep, deep down in their roots in order to bear fruit. In a dry vintage the harvest will be small, but the flavors can be prolific. And so it is with the Frog’s Leap Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from 2021. “This is a wine we we hold on to as much as we can, ” says Winemaker John Williams, “Because this is Rutherford Dust at its absolutely purest form, a classic old school Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.”
As with all great wine, only time will tell. But if you’ve had an early bottle of Frog’s Leap recently you’ll admit the odds are pretty good here. So if you’re willing to be patient, and you’re able to acquire it, we highly recommend you lay down a few bottles of this and open it in 10, 15, 20, 30 years or so. John says you’ll be very glad you did.
— vw
P.S. The photo featured above was taken of John in a Cabernet block at Williams Rossi Ranch shortly before sunrise on September 11, 2021.