Review: 2019 Brendel Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
Brendel farms its wines organically in Napa Valley, producing a variety of single-varietal and blended wines. Today we look at two of Brendel’s flagships, a chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon.
2019 Brendel Noble One Chardonnay Napa Valley – While it’s an unoaked chardonnay, this expression nonetheless tilts at notes of vanilla, coconut, and butterscotch, the wine’s fruity qualities tempered just so by an unknown hand. Later in the game, flavors run more to guava and baked apple in this expression, with a pinch of ginger and cinnamon informing the back end. A bit doughy at times, the wine would clearly benefit from more acidity, though its semi-Burgundian approach today gives it plenty to lean on anyway, despite a touch of immaturity. A- / $30
2019 Brendel Cooper’s Reed Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – Here’s a young, almost brash, cabernet that showcases Napa’s darker, more brooding side. Intensely earthy from start to finish, it features elements of graphite, saddle leather, and dusty roots, before eventually pushing that toughness aside enough to allow a squeeze of somewhat underripe raspberry and blackberry into view. All told, the wine is quiet today but feels like it has room to grow; a few years in cellar might help the fruit to come more clearly into focus. B / $40
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