It’s only January, but 2020 is shaping up to be a banner year for Theorem Vineyards. For today’s blog, we wanted to give our wine-drinking community a sneak peek at what we’ve got coming out of the bottle—and why we’re thrilled to release some of our vintages from 2017 and 2018.
The summer of 2017 is known for being long and hot. Crops in 2018 benefited from the protracted heatwaves and, as any vintner knows, hot summers mean ripe, powerful, and unctuous wines. Napa Valley saw two in a row.
Without further ado, let’s dive into what’s to come from Theorem!
January 2020
This month, we’ll be releasing the 2017 Hawk’s Prey, our 100% Cabernet from our young vine block planted in 2014. The vines propagated from the Jenkins clone, which has produced numerous wines of legendary quality. It originally hales from Chateau Latour and was famously used at the Outpost ‘True Vineyard.’
Hawk’s Prey was named for a quiet moment from when the vines were first being planted.
A family member noticed a few hawks circling over them as they worked in the field and asked what they were preying on; one vineyard worker joked that, because of the heat, they might be “the hawk’s prey.” The grapes planted on that scorching afternoon now live on as a truly exceptional wine.
Tasting notes for Hawk’s Prey: “It has an opaque purple core out to a ruby red rim. On the nose, there are elegant, complex aromas of ripe plums, milk chocolate, wild blackberries, cassis, violets, and warm, freshly tilled earth. On the pallet, the wine is soft and lush with a dense core of flavors that mirror the nose. The tannins are smooth and silky; while adding structure, they are seamlessly integrated.”
The 2016 vintage was our fastest selling wine ever; in fact, our cellars were empty within three months.
We expect even greater things from this year’s release.
Spring & Summer 2020
Last year, we released our very first white wine: Sauvignon Blanc from our vineyard on Moon Mountain District. The wine balances light acidity and rich fruit with aromas of citrus, stone fruit, flowers, herbs, and minerals. Fleshy peach and ripe melon explode on the palate, followed by a dance between lime zest and jasmine as they ride a long, crisp beam of acidity. This year, we’ll be introducing our second vintage of this incredible wine: the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc from Moon Mountain District. Because we added a cement egg to the fermentation process, we expect more weight and complexity in the mid-palate while preserving the wine’s signature acidity and zest.
Our Very First Vintage of Something New
In early summer, Theorem will also be releasing our very first foray into Syrah! The 2018 Moon Mountain District Syrah promises to be a complex wine and a worthy addition to the world’s best Syrah vintages. In the same season, our vineyard also looks forward to releasing our very first Moon Mountain District Cabernet. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District promises to embody the very best of the terroir of our high-elevation property.
Other Releases
In addition to the new vintages in our lineup, we’ll also be releasing new vintages of our Chardonnay, our Merlot, and our flagship wine, the Voir Dire. Our 2019 Chardonnay, our 2018 Merlot, and our 2017 Voir Dire all promise to bring the best that our beautiful estate has to offer. Our team is thrilled for what 2020 is going to bring us, and we think our community of wine-enthusiasts will have plenty to celebrate this year.
Whatever you do, make sure to join our mailing list so you don’t miss any of our exciting releases!
