2021 Founders’ Reserve

2021 Founders’ Reserve
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon William & Mary Founders’ Reserve is one of the very best wines I have ever tasted from Seavey. It marries fruit intensity, structure and density with just a touch more new oak that works so well here. Black fruit, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and chocolate are all amplified in this striking, memorable wine. This grand, sweeping Cabernet is magnificent. Sadly, there are just two barrels to go around.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Dec. 2023) 100 points
Ratings
Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Jan. 2024) 97 points
“There are just two barrels (50 cases) of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon William and Mary Founder’s Reserve, a superlative effort. Ripe cherries and deep cassis scents are joined on the nose by subdued sage notes and a touch of cedar (both barrels were new French oak). Full-bodied and intensely concentrated, it’s generous and creamy on the palate, then finishes long, vibrant and mouthwatering.”
Jeb Dunnuck (Feb. 2024) 98 points
“A tiny barrel selection (two barrels), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Founders’ Reserve has a riveting sense of class in its notes of pure cassis, spicy oak, violets, and toasted spice in its rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet utterly seamless profile. It has the classic style of 2021, flawless balance, ripe tannins, and a gorgeous finish.”
Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Dec. 2023) 100 points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon William & Mary Founders’ Reserve is one of the very best wines I have ever tasted from Seavey. It marries fruit intensity, structure and density with just a touch more new oak that works so well here. Black fruit, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and chocolate are all amplified in this striking, memorable wine. This grand, sweeping Cabernet is magnificent. Sadly, there are just two barrels to go around.”
Vineyard Notes
Our Founders’ Reserve pays tribute to our founders’ Bill and Mary Seavey and was crafted from two special blocks in our estate vineyard that were planted in the 1990s. These blocks, known only to us in-house, provide delicate concentration and tannic structure to produce an elevated and impressive age-worthy Cabernet. The 2021 season began with the vineyard soil profile filled with moisture from abundant rainfall followed by a late spring and a long warm summer. The growing conditions were nearly ideal, with steady sun during the day and cooler marine influences at night into the late morning. This resulted in the refined power and savoriness we have come to expect with this limited reserve cuvée. These specific vineyard blocks of Cabernet grapes were harvested October 15-17th.
Production Notes
Seavey separately harvests, vinifies, and ages each vineyard block of our grapes. Our Founders’ Reserve is produced from the best two block of Cabernet Sauvignon on our property and amounts to 3 barrels. Our winemaking follows classic Bordeaux methods with intensive grape selection, long fermentations, and ageing in the tightest-grain French oak barrels. In the cool of the autumn night, grapes from our 2021 harvest were promptly harvested and delivered within minutes to the winery. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in 100% New French oak barrels for 20 months before bottling in June 2023.
100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Blend
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Production
- 49 Cases
- Barrels
- 100% French Oak (100% new)
- Cellaring
- 2030 - 2067
- Bottling Date
- June 2023
- Alcohol %
- 14.5
- Winemaking Team
- Winemaker: Jim Duane, Consulting Winemaker: Philippe Melka, Vineyard Manager: Luis Ruiz