| Review: |
"It's telling that even Togni's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill Vineyard—the early-drinking wine—needs a few years in the cellar. The barest hint of bell pepper accents bold cassis fruit and notes of wild thyme on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is fairly open and generous, with enough suppleness to suggest only five years of cellaring will be necessary. Classically styled, it's streamlined in shape and long on the finish, ending with mouthwatering acids and soft tannins. Earlier this year, I was able to arrange a visit with Philip and Birgitta Togni. Now in their mid-90s, their daughter Lisa is largely running the show, but we spent some socially distanced time outside talking about their early days on Spring Mountain. Not surprisingly, the Glass fire was the first topic of conversation, as there were scorched tree trunks all around, and a crew of workers were cutting and removing dead and fallen trees. "Our neighbors [Lokoya] saved us," said Philip. It is an untold story of the recent fires in California, that in the wake of overstretched government-funded firefighting departments, private companies with deep pockets have had to contribute to the defense of their own properties—but they have also come to the aid of their neighbors. "We've been lucky to be here for 45 years," said Birgitta. The two of them have been in Napa since 1959, when Philip started working for Mayacamas. He later moved on to work for Chapellet—helping establish their vineyard on Pritchard Hill and making their legendary 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon—and Cuvaison, where he was working as winemaker, when, as Philip tells it, "Birgitta said, 'Let's not work for somebody else.' By 1981, they had purchased 25 acres on Spring Mountain and planted 4.5 acres—three of them devoted to Sauvignon Blanc, "for cashflow," said Philip. They made their first Cabernet in 1983 but replanted in 1985—most of their current vines date to then, a mix of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. "I made the '56 Château Lascombes," said Philip. "So, I mirrored that cépage." Lisa Togni, who has an MBA and worked harvests in Australia (twice) and at Léoville Barton, said, "So much of what we do here is similar to how things used to be done in the Médoc. If we can grow good grapes, the winemaking is easy." The vineyards now encompass a total of 10.5 acres, with two parcels that produce softer, less tannic wines, devoted to the production of Tanbark Hill. Yields are thinned to three tons per acre, never supplemented by outside fruit. But despite the small size of the estate, 10-ton fermenters are the norm. "We prefer the larger volume, for higher-temperature fermentations," said Lisa. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, with about 40% new French oak. The family does plan to bottle 2020 wines this summer. "We picked well before the Glass fire," said Lisa. "We'd just pressed the day before." Later, we went down into the cellar to taste, still being careful to stay far apart—Philip sat on a stool about 30 feet away. We didn't look at barrel samples on this occasion, but we did taste the current releases (2019) and a couple of library releases that are made available to long-term customers. These remain benchmark mountain Cabernets, with decades of aging potential." |