Review by Antonio Galloni
Rating: (94)
BLANKIET ESTATE Prince of Hearts Red Wine 2021
Paradise Hills Vineyard, Yountville, California
The 2021 Prince of Hearts is such a classy wine. Dark cherry, leather, licorice, spice and mocha are nicely amplified in a wine that has so much to offer. All the elements are so well balanced in this deep, layered Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot-based blend. This is so impressive. The 2021 has the forward fruit to be quite approachable, but also a good deal of supporting structure. It’s a pretty big step up from prior releases.
Blankiet was one of the highlights of my time in Napa Valley this fall. The 2021s are simply mind-blowing. Proprietors Katherine and Claude Blankiet richly deserve all the acclaim they will surely receive for these wines. The Blankiets have put in the time and money to realize their ambition of producing world-class wines. Along the way, they have made the mistakes that are typical of all new ventures but have always done what was needed to address those issues.
Winemaker Graeme MacDonald found a finely tuned machine when he took over for Denis and May-Britt Malbec and had the skill to make the necessary adjustments to reach the next level without drastically changing the wines. Yields were down about 15% in 2021. MacDonald gave the wines 40-50 days on the skins, which worked well.
I tasted the 2021s twice, once at the winery and a second time at home in New York, just to make sure I had not been overly seduced by the magic of Napa Valley during the fall. The wines were nothing short of thrilling on both occasions. This is the vintage that places Blankiet squarely among the most elite wineries in Napa Valley. Bravo!
From The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernets, Part One (Dec 2023) by Antonio Galloni
