Featured News & Press
No. 4 - Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2020
Wine Spectator, December 2020
“Since purchasing this historic winery in 2013, the Schottenstein family has installed a new winemaking team and invested in the cellar and vineyards. But winemaking remains staunchly traditional here. In-house winemaker Braiden Albrecht and consulting winemaker Andy Erickson age the wine for 32 to 36 months in mostly neutral oak, beginning with 20 months in large casks and finishing with 12 more months in smaller 225- to 500-liter barrels. An energetic Cabernet built on acidity and minerality as much as tannins and fruit, this red will reward two decades of cellaring. A benchmark in a top Napa Cabernet vintage, this 2016 marks the second straight Top 10 appearance for Mayacamas.”
View PDFNo. 2 - Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2019
Wine Spectator, December 2019
“Mayacamas is one of Napa's most celebrated and historic estates. Its stone winery, constructed in 1889 in the mountainous Mount Veeder appellation, remains in use to this day. And since the 1950s, though ownership has changed several times, little has changed about the winemaking. Winemaker Braiden Albrecht and consulting winemaker Andy Erickson utilize traditional techniques to yield a classic Cabernet style, implementing a combination of cement, open-top foudres, and stainless-steel fermentors before aging the Cabernet 32 months in neutral oak (20 months in large foudres and 12 in barriques). The result: a compact wine built on savory charcoal, bay leaf, tar, and juniper notes. 2,250 cases made.”
View PDFThe NBA’s Secret Wine Society
ESPN Magazine, February 2018
“The river of black shuttle buses negotiates sharp switchbacks, bouncing upward along miles of uneven pavement that fades into dirt, from two lanes to one, climbing beneath oak forest that blocks out the morning light. Cellphone service dwindles to nothing. Finally, a metal gate appears, a large "M" at its center, and soon the Cleveland Cavaliers pour out of the buses… This is Mayacamas, one of Napa Valley's most iconic wineries. Not many of the Cavs have been here, but LeBron James has, and he recognizes that the area where he's standing now, the small clearing, once belonged to a building that is no more.”
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Video: Mayacamas Downtown One Year Anniversary
Mayacamas Vineyards, May 2020
“To commemorate our one year anniversary since the grand opening of our Mayacamas Downtown Napa tasting room, we created a video to share our team's thoughts on the past year and the many reasons why we’re looking forward to the future. Mayacamas Vineyards 2020 @ Bonafide Productions”
Video: Winemakers' Notes on 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
Mayacamas Vineyards, September 2019
“Mayacamas Winemakers Braiden Albrecht and Andy Erickson share their notes on the 2015 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon released in the fall of 2019. Filmed at Mayacamas Vineyards 2019 @ Bonafide Productions”
96 Points - 2015 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
James Molesworth / Wine Spectator, August 2019
“Youthfully compact, with tightly wound black currant, bitter plum, and blueberry notes, this needs time to meld with the charcoal bay leaf and star streaks, but the mouthwatering cut on the finish suggests that won’t be a problem. Offers a long echo of juniper at the end. Best from 2023 through 2040. 2,250 cases made.–James Molesworth”
Video: Winemakers' Notes on 2015 Merlot
Mayacamas Vineyards, February 2019
“Mayacamas Winemakers Braiden Albrecht and Andy Erickson share their notes on the 2015 Mayacamas Merlot released in the Spring of 2019. Filmed at Mayacamas Vineyards 2019 @ Bonafide Productions”
Video: Winemakers' Notes on 2017 Chardonnay
Mayacamas Vineyards, February 2019
“Mayacamas Winemakers Braiden Albrecht and Andy Erickson share their notes on the 2017 Mayacamas Chardonnay released in the Spring of 2019. Filmed at Mayacamas Vineyards 2019 @ Bonafide Productions”
95 Points - 2014 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
James Molesworth / Wine Spectator Insider, October 2018
“This packs in a lot of juicy black currant and blackberry paste notes, with lively licorice snap and bramble accents filling the available space. A roasted apple wood accent lends a mouthwatering edge while a tarry echo at the very end adds range and length. Should cruise in the cellar. Best from 2020 through 2045.—J.M.”
The Wine Country Fires of 2017
Wine Spectator, June 2018
“He points out how the burned trees on the hills in the distance have changed the views. "You didn't used to be able to see San Francisco from here," he says.”
94 Points - Mayacamas 2015 Chardonnay
Decanter Magazine, June 2018
“Dry-farming, high elevation and maturation in a variety of barrel sizes has produced a most elegant wine here. Roast cashew and roast hazelnut aromas segue seamlessly into concentrated notions of lemon oil and zest. This is fluid and concentrated, powerful but poised. The finish is clean-cut, citrus-scented and long, echoing life and verve.”
95 Points - 2016 Mayacamas Chardonnay
Wine Enthusiast, May 2018
“From the mighty dry-farmed site within the secluded appellation, this incredible wine is expressive in tones of flint, fig, pear and lemon peel, with lasting acidity that brightens and freshens the palate. Medium bodied, it's soft in feel yet structured, balanced and complex.”
96+ Points - Mayacamas 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Antonio Galloni / Vinous Media, March 2018
“The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the best qualities of the year to great effect. Powerful, incisive and tannic, yet also medium-bodied in structure, the 2014 is laser-focused and exceptionally beautiful. Precision and finely sculpted, the 2014 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own, but it is incredibly vivid and poised, even at this early stage. Red fruit, wild flowers, orange peel and chalk add brightness throughout.”
98 Points – Mayacamas 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon “Golden Hill”
Antonio Galloni / Vinous Media, March 2018
“The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Golden Hill emerges from a single block on the estate planted with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel, the 2014 possesses remarkable finesse and stunning beauty. The Golden Hill has a level of mid-palate depth and resonance that distinguishes it from the straight Mayacamas Cabernet. A vivid wine with breathtaking depth and complexity, the 2014 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. In this tasting, it is utterly thrilling from the first taste.”
95-98 Points - Mayacamas 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
Antonio Galloni / Vinous Media, March 2018
“The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep, powerful wine. Interestingly, the 2015 has shut down considerably since I last tasted it a year ago. That is probably a very good sign for the wine's longevity. There is plenty of vintage 2015 richness and fruit intensity, but the tannins are equally imposing. The 2015 was racked about two months before this tasting, which likely plays a role in how the wine shows. Sadly, yields are down 50%.”
97 Points - 2013 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
Antonio Galloni / Vinous Media, March 2018
“The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a huge, dark wine. Virile, imposing and massively structured in the glass, the 2013 is a wine for readers who can be patient. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive, with potent tannins and a real feeling of gravitas to back things up. Black cherry, game, smoke, gravel and licorice add to an impression of brooding intensity. In many ways, the 2013 reminds me of some of the great wines of the 1970s in its dark, imposing personality.”
Unfiltered Special: Cleveland Cavs Visit California Wine Country
Wine Spectator, January 2018
“First stop of the day was Mayacamas, where a rep from the winery tells us the entire Cavaliers organization—about 60 people total—spent about an hour and a half on the property, touring the facility and tasting Mayacamas' two current vintages, the 2013 Cabernet and the 2015 Chardonnay, as well as the 2003 Cabernet for comparison. The occasion was particularly poignant because the Cavs were the first group the winery hosted since the October wildfires destroyed the Mayacamas tasting room.”
Introducing Mayacamas: 128 Years, Singular & Resilient
Michael Skurnik Wines, December 2017
“At the crest of Mount Veeder, a sinuous appellation that clings to the Mayacamas Mountains’ southern reaches, rests Mayacamas Vineyards – as it has for over a century. Here, at 2,400 feet, above the din of Napa’s valley floor, fifty acres of vines quietly speak to both an unshakeable past and a fortitude for the future. Their fruit finds its voice in a stone cellar built in 1889, and when bottled, it shares with us a story of humility and commitment – unadorned, with concentration, elegance, and balance.”
North Bay Business Journal: Ohio Family Regains Full Ownership of Napa’s Mayacamas Vineyards
North Bay Business Journal, September 2017
“This represents an exciting and happy new chapter for Mayacamas Vineyards,” stated Jay Schottenstein. “Since 2013 our family has been committed to the long-term stewardship of this property, and assuming 100% ownership assures the continuity of our vision and the preservation of this historic estate.”
The French Laundry’s Sommelier Picks his Four Most Exciting Napa Cabernets
Robb Report, September 2016
“Sommelier Erik Johnson has been on an enviable spree. Restocking the wine cellar of the French Laundry in Napa Valley as part of the restaurant’s extensive renovation (due to be completed this fall), he added about 1,000 wines to a list that had dwindled to roughly 1,500 and deepened the focus on Napa Valley. Here are his most exciting discoveries.”
Best of the Best 2016: Leisure | Domestic Red Wines: Mayacamas Vineyards 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon
Robb Report, June 2016
“Perched atop the rugged Mayacamas Mountains that divide the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, this prized site produces some of the purest, most complex Cabernet Sauvignons in the world… The spectacular wine—soulful with the aromas of black currant, dried cherry, cedar, and leather—is reminiscent of great Bordeaux and yet still quintessentially old-school Napa Valley. ”