In contrast to our long-aging classic-style clarets, in 2021 we together created this lively young offering showcasing the New World at its best ā brimming with cherry and blueberry aromas kissed by French oak. Its ample velvety tannins benefit from 2% each of Tannat and Malbec, which contribute to finesse and brightness.
Mike and Steve Heringer lead one of our favorite grower teams for a number of reasons. First, their vineyard is situated in the heart of Clarksburg, a remarkable AVA in the Sacramento River delta north of Lodi and cooled by marine air from the Golden Gate. Second, their fine-tuned organization is a joy to work and play with. Third, they are courageous experimenters from which we can source unusual varieties like Tannat and Norton.
Winemaking
Fermentation techniques: Anchor NT 112 yeast inoculum, 7.5 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips, 14-day maceration
Elevage details: Four weeks microbĆ¼llage pre-ML, 20 months in neutral French oak
Delightfully drinkable now, its refined tannin structure promises further aging potential, perhaps a decade over which to acquire complexity.
We Smiths offer small lots of extraordinary hand-crafted wines which explore French winemaking traditions in California.
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and all things French and observed firsthand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three-year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as a founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the worldās largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with Californiaās winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibilities for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become a renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 āCrucibleā Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County, he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy CĆ“tes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality, and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself āWhat is this wine trying to teach me?ā Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques that are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wineās true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Greetings, mates! Itās great to be back among my homies! I feel that my familyās WineSmith project is better understood here than anywhere else.
I have exciting news! At long last, we are building a tasting room in Eldorado County up the hill from Placerville in the midst of the Apple Hill tourist madness.
The best way to sell my peculiar oddities and Euro-forgeries such as Norton, St. Laurent and Petit Manseng is to put some in the visitorās mouth while I answer questions and share my vision in person.
In the past, my Cabernet Sauvignons have been sturdy, long-aging styles seeking to resemble Bordeaux, particularly Pauillac. In this wine, I sought to craft a more drinkable style. For this, I turned to the Heringer Estateās remarkable Clarksburg terroir which has given us wonderfully feminine Tannat and Norton. The resulting wine needed only 20 months in neutral French oak, after which a added 2% Tannat for density and harmoniousness of the tannins as well as 2% Malbec for added fruitiness. Sure enough, the result is a comely, drinkable and satisfying pour that will stun our visitors to WineSmith Cellars.
This is not to say that the wine lacks age-worthiness. I am sure that in a good cellar it will gain complexities for a decade or so.
I received a new bottle of 2021 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon, Heringer Vineyards. I could not find any info on this bottle prior to the sale, so I had no clue what I was walking into.
I did a pop and pour early in the day on Saturday and it felt tight, so I threw it in a decanter for a few hours. I made a NY strip for dinner to have with this cab. Even after decanting, it still felt a bit tannic. The nose was not overly complex as I got notes of menthol and cacao. The taste was more menthol and eucalyptus. In the glass, it was completely opaque, even on the edges, with a dark purple color.
After two glasses, I decided to funnel it back into the bottle and try it again tomorrow.
Not much changed. It was slightly smoother. It felt more chalky with some peppery notes that linger on the tongue. This version is more reminiscent of a Rutherford cab.
Iām a bit surprised this is being marketed as a drink-now bottle. I think it should be laid down for a few years before I would open another.
Compared to the typical deals on Casemates, Iām not sure I would jump on this at $23. But, the case price ($17) is tempting, especially if you have cellar space and time. I am currently bursting at the seams with reds, so I am passing on this one.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2021 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon, Heringer Vineyards - $80 = 28.56%
Clarksberg! who would have thought the man got his own town built!
So my experience is very different than the one above which is interesting. I did open this wine same day as delivery as we had a steak dry brining so that may have been a mistake.
My wine was the opposite of closed and was a light drinker. Gun to my head I swear it was a pinot noir and was certainly lighter body then you typical Bordeaux cab.
My notes (had it by itself and then with NY strip on day 1)
Day 1: Acidic and light, smell rhubarb, blueberry, tart cherry, jammy in a light way?
Taste: blueberry, sour cherry (ironically also these were on the label) tastes similar to a pinot noir surprisingly. light vanilla/oak.
Paired well with the new york strip but almost wanted something a bit heavier.
Day 2: it was still drinking well, very light bodied and not too tannic, still getting light oak, still cherry/berry.
Maybe my wine had some aeration or something since it wasnāt closed/needed no decanting from the start or again could be from the delivery shaking/bumps.
I thought $20-25 casemates price would be a good deal so the case price is even better. Pictures below.
@kray05@winesmith Interesting - why jump to the ācorkedā conclusion when this was not mentioned at all - and their descriptors did not allude to this at all? Cheers
@kray05@tercerowines Itās the only explanation I can think of. This wine has a great deal of fruit and a silky tannin structure. TCA will both mask the fruit and lend the palate a coarseness. I donāt doubt the description, but it doesnāt resemble the wine at all. Small levels of TCA can have this effect without the moldy smell being apparent.
@kray05@winesmith not to be ācontroversialā, but isnāt this a ācanāt figure it out so it must beā answer? What about temperature of the wine and/or the room? What about glassware? What about the health and/or mood of the taster? And some would ask, what about the biodynamic calendar and what kind of ādayā was it?
@kray05@tercerowines Good call. I believe in all these effects, and particularly the music playing at the time. A polka would definitely ruin this stuff.
@albish7
Iām in the same boat ā weāll see if we can get any more Columbus WineSmith fans on board, or if I just break down and get the case for myself.
@fermentedwisdom ???Columbus??? Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, but the only Columbus I really know & love is in O-H-I-O, OSU Buckeye Country!! And very seldom do I see it shaded in on the Casemate Ohio Map! ā¦and I definitely know they have classy quiet Winos there!!
@furrygoat Where in Kansas are you located? Iām in Leawood but ship wine to my office in KCMO which is better because I do not pay tax. Up for a split case?
Hard to resist a WineSmith offering. In for a case.
/giphy sincere-heartsick-barnacle
Barnacle ā getting pretty close to a Sandcrab (Iām sure @winesmith would agree ).
Good question. It seems trite, but the most important style choice is vineyard selection. The Heringer Vineyard in Clarksburg is a completely different animal that the Napa, Lake County and SCM vineyards from which I make my BIG wines. Think Medoc vs Roussillon.
We did not employ copigmentation or extended maceration strategies. We picked relatively low maturity. We did not use Phase 1 micro-ox, which would build structure and reductive strength and push off release date.
Finally, we used tiny persentages of Tannat to soften tannins and Malbec for extra fruit.
@klezman@tercerowines Good question, but no, the wine has always been pretty open, which is why we didnāt need a long period in barrel prior to bottling. It was ready to go all on its own.
BTW, this wine doesnāt represent a change in direction for WineSmith. We have Bates Ranch Santa Cruz Mountains Cab Sauv as well as Pine Mountain Vineyards aging away, and in the future, these will be our flagship Cabs. Because of the tasting room, we are simply adding a more drinkable tier.
I just bottled a Sauvignon Blanc from Clarksburg grapes yesterday. Be interesting to taste Clarkās Cabernet from the same region. Iām in.
Cheers,
Scott
@ScottHarveyWine Clarksburg is really a happening place. Long the top spot for Chenin Blanc and Petite Sirah, we source amazing Tannat, Tempranillo and Norton, but I donāt believe Iāve ever had a Clarksburg Sauvignon Blanc. Weāll have to work out a swap.
2021 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon, Heringer Vineyards, Clarksburg
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
Whatās Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $480.00/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 27 - Tuesday, Mar 28
2021 WineSmith Heringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
3 bottles for $69.99 $23.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Greetings, mates! Itās great to be back among my homies! I feel that my familyās WineSmith project is better understood here than anywhere else.
I have exciting news! At long last, we are building a tasting room in Eldorado County up the hill from Placerville in the midst of the Apple Hill tourist madness.
The best way to sell my peculiar oddities and Euro-forgeries such as Norton, St. Laurent and Petit Manseng is to put some in the visitorās mouth while I answer questions and share my vision in person.
In the past, my Cabernet Sauvignons have been sturdy, long-aging styles seeking to resemble Bordeaux, particularly Pauillac. In this wine, I sought to craft a more drinkable style. For this, I turned to the Heringer Estateās remarkable Clarksburg terroir which has given us wonderfully feminine Tannat and Norton. The resulting wine needed only 20 months in neutral French oak, after which a added 2% Tannat for density and harmoniousness of the tannins as well as 2% Malbec for added fruitiness. Sure enough, the result is a comely, drinkable and satisfying pour that will stun our visitors to WineSmith Cellars.
This is not to say that the wine lacks age-worthiness. I am sure that in a good cellar it will gain complexities for a decade or so.
Lab rat reporting for duty.
I received a new bottle of 2021 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon, Heringer Vineyards. I could not find any info on this bottle prior to the sale, so I had no clue what I was walking into.
I did a pop and pour early in the day on Saturday and it felt tight, so I threw it in a decanter for a few hours. I made a NY strip for dinner to have with this cab. Even after decanting, it still felt a bit tannic. The nose was not overly complex as I got notes of menthol and cacao. The taste was more menthol and eucalyptus. In the glass, it was completely opaque, even on the edges, with a dark purple color.
After two glasses, I decided to funnel it back into the bottle and try it again tomorrow.
Not much changed. It was slightly smoother. It felt more chalky with some peppery notes that linger on the tongue. This version is more reminiscent of a Rutherford cab.
Iām a bit surprised this is being marketed as a drink-now bottle. I think it should be laid down for a few years before I would open another.
Compared to the typical deals on Casemates, Iām not sure I would jump on this at $23. But, the case price ($17) is tempting, especially if you have cellar space and time. I am currently bursting at the seams with reds, so I am passing on this one.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2021 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon, Heringer Vineyards - $80 = 28.56%
Clarksberg! who would have thought the man got his own town built!
So my experience is very different than the one above which is interesting. I did open this wine same day as delivery as we had a steak dry brining so that may have been a mistake.
My wine was the opposite of closed and was a light drinker. Gun to my head I swear it was a pinot noir and was certainly lighter body then you typical Bordeaux cab.
My notes (had it by itself and then with NY strip on day 1)
Day 1: Acidic and light, smell rhubarb, blueberry, tart cherry, jammy in a light way?
Taste: blueberry, sour cherry (ironically also these were on the label) tastes similar to a pinot noir surprisingly. light vanilla/oak.
Paired well with the new york strip but almost wanted something a bit heavier.
Day 2: it was still drinking well, very light bodied and not too tannic, still getting light oak, still cherry/berry.
Maybe my wine had some aeration or something since it wasnāt closed/needed no decanting from the start or again could be from the delivery shaking/bumps.
I thought $20-25 casemates price would be a good deal so the case price is even better. Pictures below.
@kray05 Yes, this is a better description. Iām pretty sure the other review was from a corked bottle.
@kray05 @winesmith It is possible. I had no notes of berry or anything approaching fruity. It didnāt taste funky, but nothing like the vinter notes.
@kray05 @winesmith Interesting - why jump to the ācorkedā conclusion when this was not mentioned at all - and their descriptors did not allude to this at all? Cheers
@kray05 @tercerowines Itās the only explanation I can think of. This wine has a great deal of fruit and a silky tannin structure. TCA will both mask the fruit and lend the palate a coarseness. I donāt doubt the description, but it doesnāt resemble the wine at all. Small levels of TCA can have this effect without the moldy smell being apparent.
@kray05 @winesmith not to be ācontroversialā, but isnāt this a ācanāt figure it out so it must beā answer? What about temperature of the wine and/or the room? What about glassware? What about the health and/or mood of the taster? And some would ask, what about the biodynamic calendar and what kind of ādayā was it?
@kray05 @tercerowines Good call. I believe in all these effects, and particularly the music playing at the time. A polka would definitely ruin this stuff.
Hard for me to pass on a WineSmith offering. Any Columbus folks interested in a split? @albish7, @cstoffel, Iām looking in your directionā¦
@fermentedwisdom
Iād be in for a 3 or 4 way split. Canāt take on 6 right now :))
@albish7
Iām in the same boat ā weāll see if we can get any more Columbus WineSmith fans on board, or if I just break down and get the case for myself.
@albish7 @fermentedwisdom I could be talked into 3-4.
Excellent ā case is ordered, any other Columbus folks who want a few bottles just let me know.
@fermentedwisdom ???Columbus??? Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, but the only Columbus I really know & love is in O-H-I-O, OSU Buckeye Country!! And very seldom do I see it shaded in on the Casemate Ohio Map! ā¦and I definitely know they have classy quiet Winos there!!
To all the OSU Buckeye Fansā¦ O - Hā¦
@Boatman72 I-O!
@fermentedwisdom I could split a case, but could settle for 3 or 4. Iām in north Cbus in LC
As alwaysā¦in for two cases
No KS again ughhhh
@furrygoat Where in Kansas are you located? Iām in Leawood but ship wine to my office in KCMO which is better because I do not pay tax. Up for a split case?
@JamesinKC yes I will split. Book it! Iām close to Leawood, kinda by Bluhawk.
Hard to resist a WineSmith offering. In for a case.
).
/giphy sincere-heartsick-barnacle
Barnacle ā getting pretty close to a Sandcrab (Iām sure @winesmith would agree
Do I have any spare room in the cellar? Less than ever. Did that stop me from buying a case? Never could it ever.
Clark, what do you do differently to get this early drinking style compared to your normal process?
@klezman
Good question. It seems trite, but the most important style choice is vineyard selection. The Heringer Vineyard in Clarksburg is a completely different animal that the Napa, Lake County and SCM vineyards from which I make my BIG wines. Think Medoc vs Roussillon.
We did not employ copigmentation or extended maceration strategies. We picked relatively low maturity. We did not use Phase 1 micro-ox, which would build structure and reductive strength and push off release date.
Finally, we used tiny persentages of Tannat to soften tannins and Malbec for extra fruit.
@klezman @winesmith Did you rack the wines a few times to āopen it upā? Any other techniques to get it ready to drink sooner? Cheers
@klezman @tercerowines Good question, but no, the wine has always been pretty open, which is why we didnāt need a long period in barrel prior to bottling. It was ready to go all on its own.
BTW, this wine doesnāt represent a change in direction for WineSmith. We have Bates Ranch Santa Cruz Mountains Cab Sauv as well as Pine Mountain Vineyards aging away, and in the future, these will be our flagship Cabs. Because of the tasting room, we are simply adding a more drinkable tier.
Any DMV-ers up to split off 3 or 4 from the case I just grabbed?
I just bottled a Sauvignon Blanc from Clarksburg grapes yesterday. Be interesting to taste Clarkās Cabernet from the same region. Iām in.
Cheers,
Scott
@ScottHarveyWine Clarksburg is really a happening place. Long the top spot for Chenin Blanc and Petite Sirah, we source amazing Tannat, Tempranillo and Norton, but I donāt believe Iāve ever had a Clarksburg Sauvignon Blanc. Weāll have to work out a swap.
@ScottHarveyWine good to see you on the board Scott and semi patiently waiting for a casemates offer from you.
Anyone in Sonoma County (Santa Rosa) want to split? Iād take 4 or 6, already ordered.
/giphy bowed-coarse-sack
Someone from Las Vegas interested to split a case?
Iāve learned to always buy Winesmith when it comes up. Thanks for the great offer!