Wine of the week: Spottswoode’s Lyndenhurst, 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

“We are farmers, first and foremost, and are at the mercy of Mother Nature,” said Aron Weinkauf, winemaker and vineyard manager of Napa Valley’s Spottswoode. “Being nimble and adaptable enough to work with our vineyard, read the signs it’s giving and act accordingly is the greatest challenge.”

Weinkauf is behind our wine of the week winner — Spottswoode’s Lyndenhurst, 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.3%, $85. Complex, this cab is layered with notes of blackberry, cassis and cocoa. It has firm tannins with good structure and nice length. It’s impressive.

Other tasty high-end cabs are: Duckhorn Vineyards, 2017 Howell Mountain, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5%, $105; J. Lohr Signature, 2018 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.1%, $100; Brandlin Estate, 2018 Mount Veeder, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5%, $90; and Flora Springs’ Trilogy, 2018 Napa Valley Red Wine, 14.2%, $85.

As for the winning Lyndenhurst, it’s produced primarily from grapes grown on the organic and biodynamic Spottswoode Estate Vineyard.

“Lyndenhurst, for us, is a classic expression of Napa Valley cabernet made in the Spottswoode style — focusing on energy, balance and freshness, always,” Weinkauf said.

Spottswoode Estate, established in 1882, was initially centered around a pre-Prohibition Victorian house, depicted on the wine label. The estate was named Spottswoode by Mrs. Albert Spotts in 1910 and later purchased by Mary and Jack Novak in 1972. The winery released its first cabernet sauvignon in 1982, exactly 100 years after the estate’s founding.

The winery crafts just two varietals — sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon, producing no more than 10,000 cases of wine yearly.

Weinkauf, 45, said he keeps an unwavering eye on the process, from the vineyard to the cellar. He graduated with a degree viticulture and enology from Fresno State in 2005 and joined Spottswoode the following year as assistant winemaker.

“I’ve been both Spottswoode’s vineyard manager and winemaker since 2011, which gives me a remarkable degree of control throughout every stage of the winegrowing and winemaking process,” he said.

Beth Novak Milliken, daughter of the Novaks and the winery’s current president and CEO, said the silver lining of the pandemic is that it has made the winery nimble and creative.

“A lack of travel has also meant that we’re more grounded, literally and figuratively, as we work collaboratively together to deal with this uncertainty,” she said. “These are decidedly interesting times in which we live, and I would classify that as an understatement.”

While the droughts have posed additional challenges, Weinkauf said the winery is taking steps to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“The team at Spottswoode is actively involved in climate action initiatives, including being a member of International Wineries for Climate Action and 1% for the Planet, a signatory of the Porto Protocol and a CarbonFund.org Partner,” he said. “We’re very committed to being a part of a greater solution that goes further than just our little patch of earth here in St Helena.”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.