2019 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
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The drying, grippy feel on your gums and tongue, as with strong tea. It comes from the skins and seeds of black grapes and from oak, and softens with age.
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The bars follow how sommeliers taste (WSET): body, tannin, sweetness and acidity, each from low to high.
Body: powerful. Fuller than most red wines from ; 14% alcohol.
Tannin: firm. From ; aged in oak.
Sweetness: dry. Red wine from is almost always dry.
Acidity: medium. from the warm climate of .
Aromas: dark fruit and green notes, typical of
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Log inThe vineyard and winery are located at 2,000 feet near the top of Spring Mountain in the western hills of the Napa Valley. Philip arrived on Spring Mountain in 1975 and began planting or replanting the vineyard in 1981, although vines were first planted here in the late 1800s. The oldest vines are now from 1985 and our youngest was planted in 1997. The ten hectare vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verd and they farm our vineyard themselves using organic methods.
There are three owners, Birgitta and Philip Togni, along with their daughter Lisa. Philip is a former student of Emile Peynaud at the University of Bordeaux, where he obtained the Diplôme National d'Oenologie many years ago while working as an assistant director at Château Lascombes. Philip came to the Napa Valley in 1959. Lisa has a background in the wine trade having harvested in Australia and at Château Léoville-Barton in Bordeaux so it should come as no surprise that Philip Togni's wines are very Bordeaux-like. All wines are Estate Bottled, meaning they only use grapes that we grow ourselves.
The Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet is a Margaux-type blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet franc and Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2019 is a classic Togni wine, intended to be kept for at least ten years and then allowed to mature well for another 30+ years in a cool cellar. Hints of green olive and thyme add a savory nuance to the raspberry and cherry notes on the nose, while the medium-to-full palate is concentrated in a dense, streamlined shape that sheds waves of dusty tannins, buffered by hints of cedar and vanilla with lingering cassis notes in the aftertaste. This is an icon that should not be missing in a beautiful wine collection.
GOOD FACT: Every year they hold back some of the newly bottled wine to re-release when it is ten, twenty and thirty years old and did you know that you get a nice discount if you choose to pick up at our Wine Warehouse!
Character
The wine
- 100%
Origin
Bottle
Wine features
Parker
Rating
95+
Release Price
$150
Drink Date
2030 - 2050
Reviewed by
Joe Czerwinski
Issue Date
31st May 2022
Source
End of May 2022, The Wine Advocate
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a classic Togni wine, meant to be laid down for at least a decade and capable of aging well for 20 years beyond that in a cool cellar. Hints of green olive and thyme add savory nuance to the raspberry and cassis shadings on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is concentrated into a dense, streamlined shape that throws off waves of dusty tannins, buffered by hints of cedar and vanilla, with lingering cassis notes on the finish.
Earlier this year, I was able to arrange a visit with Philip and Birgitta Togni. Now in their mid-90s, their daughter Lisa is largely running the show, but we spent some socially distanced time outside talking about their early days on Spring Mountain. Not surprisingly, the Glass fire was the first topic of conversation, as there were scorched tree trunks all around, and a crew of workers were cutting and removing dead and fallen trees.
"Our neighbors [Lokoya] saved us," said Philip. It is an untold story of the recent fires in California, that in the wake of overstretched government-funded firefighting departments, private companies with deep pockets have had to contribute to the defense of their own properties—but they have also come to the aid of their neighbors. "We've been lucky to be here for 45 years," said Birgitta.
The two of them have been in Napa since 1959, when Philip started working for Mayacamas. He later moved on to work for Chapellet—helping establish their vineyard on Pritchard Hill and making their legendary 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon—and Cuvaison, where he was working as winemaker, when, as Philip tells it, "Birgitta said, 'Let's not work for somebody else.' "
By 1981, they had purchased 25 acres on Spring Mountain and planted 4.5 acres—three of them devoted to Sauvignon Blanc, "for cashflow," said Philip. They made their first Cabernet in 1983 but replanted in 1985—most of their current vines date to then, a mix of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. "I made the '56 Château Lascombes," said Philip. "So, I mirrored that cépage."
Lisa Togni, who has an MBA and worked harvests in Australia (twice) and at Léoville Barton, said, "So much of what we do here is similar to how things used to be done in the Médoc. If we can grow good grapes, the winemaking is easy."
The vineyards now encompass a total of 10.5 acres, with two parcels that produce softer, less tannic wines, devoted to the production of Tanbark Hill. Yields are thinned to three tons per acre, never supplemented by outside fruit.
But despite the small size of the estate, 10-ton fermenters are the norm. "We prefer the larger volume, for higher-temperature fermentations," said Lisa. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, with about 40% new French oak.
The family does plan to bottle 2020 wines this summer. "We picked well before the Glass fire," said Lisa. "We'd just pressed the day before."
Later, we went down into the cellar to taste, still being careful to stay far apart—Philip sat on a stool about 30 feet away. We didn't look at barrel samples on this occasion, but we did taste the current releases (2019) and a couple of library releases that are made available to long-term customers. These remain benchmark mountain Cabernets, with decades of aging potential.
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Vinous
(96-99)
From: Napa Valley’s Thrilling 2018s & 2019s, Parts 1 & 2 (Jan 2021)
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is off the charts. What a wine. The 2019 captures all the Togni signatures, but with both more fruit richness and energy than is the norm. A Cabernet of gravitas and consequence, the 2019 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year. Black cherry, plum, graphite, spice and incense build into the palate-staining finish. The 2019 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, all co-fermented. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. All I can say is: Wow!
- By Antonio Galloni on February 2021
It’s always a pleasure to sit down with Philip and Lisa Togni, even if that means virtually in our current world. Readers will find a number of compelling wines among these new and upcoming releases. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a terrific example of the finesse of the year. I suspect the 2019 will be even better, as it has more depth and energy. The sweet Ca’ Togni doesn’t seem to get much attention, but it is one of the finer editions I can remember tasting. I also had an opportunity to taste three older wines from Togni’s library program. All of them were stellar, and reminders (as if that was needed) of how compelling these wines can be. For readers who want to taste fine, age-worthy Napa Valley Cabernets with Old World leanings, Togni must be at or near the top of the list.
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Philip Togni is een levende legende in Napa Valley. Zijn domein ligt hoog op Spring Mountain, net boven de mistlijn, waar de omstandigheden ideaal zijn voor Cabernet van wereldklasse. Het domein werd in 1975 gekocht door Philip en zijn vrouw Birgitta. In 1981 volgde de eerste aanplant van de huidige wijngaarden. Alles wordt ter plekke gedaan: van druif tot botteling. De filosofie is eenvoudig maar streng: uitsluitend estate-wijn, zonder druiven in- of uitkoop.
Philip Togni studeerde oenologie in Bordeaux bij Émile Peynaud en werkte later in Californië bij iconische huizen als Chappellet, Mayacamas en Inglenook. Daar maakte hij onder meer de legendarische 1969 Cabernet van Chappellet. In de jaren tachtig begon hij voor zichzelf, en inmiddels staat zijn dochter Lisa naast hem aan het roer. Samen bouwen ze voort op zijn reputatie voor klassieke, langlevende Napa Cabernet. De wijngaard is klein, zo’n 10 hectare, verdeeld over steile, rotsachtige percelen. Cabernet Sauvignon voert de boventoon, aangevuld met Merlot, Cabernet Franc en Petit Verdot. Er is ook een klein perceel Black Hamburgh, dat wordt gebruikt voor een unieke zoete wijn. De bodem is vulkanisch en kalkrijk, wat de wijnen structuur en frisheid geeft.
Klimaat in Napa Valley – Spring Mountain
Het klimaat is mediterraan, met veel zon, droge zomers en koele nachten. De hoogte van het domein zorgt voor trage rijping, waardoor de druiven intensiteit en balans ontwikkelen. Dat verklaart waarom de wijnen zo goed kunnen ouderen en vaak pas na jaren hun volle potentieel laten zien.
Interessante feitjes over Philip Togni:
Philip Togni wordt gezien als een van de pioniers van Napa Cabernet in klassieke Bordeaux-stijl.
Zijn wijnen staan bekend om hun enorme bewaarpotentieel, vaak 20 jaar of langer.
Alle wijnen worden uitsluitend op het domein gemaakt en gebotteld.
Naast de befaamde Cabernet maakt het domein ook een tweede wijn en een zeldzame zoete variant van Black Hamburgh.
Een deel van de productie wordt bewust bewaard en later opnieuw uitgebracht als oudere jaargangen.
Bij Grandcruwijnen zijn de wijnen van Philip Togni verkrijgbaar. Ze liggen opgeslagen in het geconditioneerde Wine Warehouse, altijd onder de juiste omstandigheden. Bestel je online, dan kun je kiezen voor bezorgen of afhalen in Dordrecht. Bij afhalen verschijnt automatisch een extra korting tijdens het afrekenen.
Deze 2019 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate toont rijke aroma's van cassis en zwarte kers met hartige accenten van groene olijf en tijm, ondersteund door ceder- en vanilletonen en een geconcentreerd, medium- tot fullbody-palet met stoffige tannines. Door die krachtige fruitstructuur en rijpe tannines vormt hij een perfecte partner voor rundvlees, lam, wild en barbecue omdat de tannines vet en umami keren in balans brengen en de hartige kruidigheid van het vlees versterken; probeer hem bij gegrilde of getoaste stukken zoals een a la minute gegrilde entrecôte of ribeye, langzaam gegaarde stoofschotels en runderbraadstukken, lamsrack met tijm en knoflook of goed gekruide wildgerechten en rokerige barbecue ribs om de fruitige concentratie en cederachtige hints nog meer tot hun recht te laten komen.
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