ABC Style of Winemaking
Thomas Brown is renowned for his ABC style of winemaking. He believes that you must first find the special piece of ground that can provide you with the quality of fruit that will enable the winemaker to craft a great product. The next step is to guaranty that the farming methods used are creative, intelligent, updated and sustainable for the vineyard and its neighbors. Lastly, he employs a minimalist approach to handling the juice even when he is applying his fine artistic touch. This allows the DNA of the terroir to express itself. His unique philosophy embodies old world indulgence of the dirt with a blend of new world efficiency and execution when crafting the wine. He seems to have achieved the same perfect balance in his performance as exists in the wines that he creates.
2023 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"We’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating, this wine gets better every year. I’m sure it’s a myriad of things that supports this notion, but I’d lean heaviest on farming for its continual improvement. This site is so dialed there’s never a need to push it in any other direction. Vine age has helped; the yields have become self-limiting where intervention is not necessary. One can adjust crop load to any number desired but there’s something about a site that starts its season balanced that produces better wine. With this incredible raw material to work with, the rest really comes down to paying attention to the details. Here that means fermenting our blocks of 341 and 7 separately and then selecting the best barrels
to create our final blend. 2023 made this difficult, in the best possible way. The vintage was so strong in Napa Valley, it made selection almost unnecessary except for the need to pull out the very best nuances from the vineyard. We ended up with a blend that was close to 50/50 across our two estate clones. The clone 7 contributes a red/purple fruit note while the clone 341 keeps it cool with some blue notes creating a kaleidoscopic flavor profile across the entire palate. Being in the Yountville appellation also means some savory elements of graphite, crushed stones, sweet tobacco and violets leak into the wine’s overall expression. There’s a broad shouldered, chiseled, iron-y structure that almost reminds me of Bordeaux until the abundant fruit crashes in mid-palate. I think
that level of refinement is what separates this wine from the rest, everything in its place, all in equal proportion."
— Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2022 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"This vintage dazzles with an array of complex Cabernet Sauvignon notes particular to the Casa Piena Estate. Every year, with additional vine age and thoughtful, detail-oriented farming that values quality as the ultimate goal, we find finished wines with increased nuance, power and depth.
The wine exhibits a completely opaque deep purple hue in the glass with a dark violet halo. A kaleidoscopic wave of aromatic notes suggest cassis paste, crushed mint, and loam. The palate is layered with mouth-coating notes of plum, blackberry, cigar box, and boysenberry reduction. The mid-palate possesses an abundance of fruit density, leading to a prolonged floral, spicy finish. Balanced by a finely integrated tannin structure and clean acidity, this wine is showing well now while waiting for other more muscular vintages to mature and meet its readiness."
— Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2021 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"This vintage exhibits a remarkable amount of dark-fruited concentration and earthy complimentary structure. Typically, the Casa Piena wines lean more towards red-fruited character on the palate, however this year we discover a different set of aromatic and palate notes to keep us engaged and intrigued. Whether this is the result of concurrent drought years or the vines developing with age, the finished result in the glass is absolutely stunning.
The 2021 Casa Piena exhibits a dark purple hue, with a violet rim. A robust wave of aromatic notes suggest licorice, clove, spearmint and loam. The palate trajectory is defined by a mouth-coating array of opulent flavors that include blackberry reduction, cassis, cinnamon, pine bough and river rock. This is a complete wine that offers a wealth of enjoyment today. With a handful of years in the cellar it will continue to unfurl and reveal even more layers as the years go on." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2019 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"2019 was a winegrower’s dream. The year started off with welcome, abundant rainfall. The Spring and Summer were marked by even, consistent, warm temperatures with no triple digit heat spikes. As Summer wound down and we transitioned towards Fall, the weather turned very mild with lots of cool, foggy mornings. This allowed us to hang the fruit as long as we needed to reach full phenological maturity. The long hang time imparted great fruit finesse and velvety tannins to the finished wines.
In the glass, the 2019 Casa Piena displays a deep purple hue with a dark garnet halo. Vivid aromas of hibiscus, toasted cedar, macerated boysenberry, lilac, and menthol emerge in waves. The layered, mouth-coating palate is noticeably darker suggesting notes of cocoa nib, star anise, crushed blackberries, mint, river rock, and baking spices. The trajectory of this wine is seamless, marked by silky tannins and complemented by a refreshing mouth-watering acidity. For those of you who have been enjoying the Casa Piena wines from the beginning, this vintage will stand out as one of the best ever." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2018 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"This wine has an even deeper color with an opaque black-purple hue in the glass. The aromatic profile starts with notes of mint, plum, kirsch, blackberries and lavender. The palate is layered with a variety of red and black fruits, dark chocolate, black tea, flint and violets. While the wine is super concentrated for Casa Piena, the tannins are well integrated providing abundant structure without interrupting the very long finish. Seamlessness is always the goal regardless of vintage conditions and here the very long growing season allowed for perfectly mature grapes that created a wine that moves effortlessly from entry to mid-palate to finish." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2017 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"In the glass, the hue can best be described as a saturated purple with a dark violet rim. Aromas swell from the glass, inviting you in closer with notes of kirsch, purple lilac, baking spices, clove and spearmint.
The palate experience is dense with waves of flavors that suggest black cherry, plum reduction, vanilla husk, currant, and finely ground baker’s chocolate. While the core of the palate is defined by opulence, the periphery has a defined acidity that maintains a level of freshness throughout the trajectory of the wine and finishes clean with tart red fruit and floral notes. This wine is showing very well now after being decanted and will age gracefully in the cellar." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2016 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"2016 was a particularly giving vintage for Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon. It produced a wine defined by a wealth of riches: color, aroma, flavor and mouth feel are all recognizable to those who are intimately familiar with this wine year in and year out, but in 2016 all those authentic qualities are increasingly vivid. The wine displays a deep purple hue with a dark garnet halo. Rich aromas of hibiscus reduction, toasted cedar bark, raspberry compote, wild violet, and eucalyptus oil emerge in waves. The palate experience is noticeably darker suggesting notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, star anise, macerated blackberries, spearmint, flint, and baking spices. The trajectory of this wine is absolutely seamless, and the tannin so finely integrated it drinks more like a wine that has already been cellared for 5-7 years. And while immediately approachable today, there are many more layers yet to bloom if given time in the cellar." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2015 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"This wine is a great example of how less can be more. 2015 was marked by a very small overall crop load at the Casa Piena Estate vineyard. Small cluster size, coupled with small berry size meant not a lot of cases to share with everyone. Born from a plethora of skin contact, this wine has an opaque black-purple hue in the glass. The aromatic profile swells out of the glass with notes of charred meat, plum reduction, baking spices, tack room, and lavender. The palate expression is layered with blackberry, dark chocolate, oolong tea, flint, graphite and violet. While the wine is intricately packed, it also moves across the palate with a viscous, sleek quality that nods to the fine, integrated tannin profile. This wine possesses a rare quality of having incredible density and power, while also maintaining an even-keeled transition from entry to the long, flowery finish." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2014 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
"The 2014 vintage served this vineyard extremely well. Yountville is known for very open, giving wines that exude both power and grace in a balanced manner. Walking the Casa Piena estate rows, your boots sink in to the cushioned soil and become rough-worn from all the ancient gravel that is found throughout the vineyard. Looking into the glass, the color of this wine is a nearly opaque, royal purple hue. Dynamic aromas of star anise, cassis, cedar bark, and pipe tobacco emerge from the glass. On the palate, notes of cranberry compote, cardamom, sage oil, blackberry reduction, and worn leather swell together, creating a lush, complex mouth feel. Framing the whole affair is a bracing acid backbone and complementary fine tannin structure. While showing very well now, with some cellar time this wine will evolve into an even more gracious example of what the Casa Piena estate property has to offer." — Thomas Brown, Wine Maker
2013 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
Building on an above-average vintage like 2012, both in terms of yield and overall wine quality, 2013 was exceptional from the early stages of the growing season right through the pick date in mid October. Yields were similar to 2012, but in 2013 one of the real defining characteristics that took wine quality to the next level was clusters that were similar in size to what we saw in the prior vintage, but with smaller berries. That translated to a higher skin to juice ratio for the fermentations, creating wines of intense depth, structure, and phenological maturity.
The 2013 Casa Piena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is made up of the best barrels of clones 337, 341 and clone 7. In the glass the wine has a nearly opaque deep purple hue. The real intrigue comes in the form of the nuanced, deeply layered aromatics. Notes both light and dark emanate towards you: citrus peel, lavender, star anise, cedar bark, crushed blackberries, sandalwood and kirsch liqueur. The palate experience is definitively marked by a pronounced structure and bright high tones, which is the calling card for a wine that had plenty of skin contact during fermentation. Dark notes of cassis, baking chocolate, plum compote, tobacco leaf and oolong tea are neatly layered amidst an upright and bright acid backbone.
Casa Piena is drinking beautifully now. However, 7+ years in the cellar will allow these wines to age extremely graciously plus show their true colors once all the structural components integrate and flesh out.
2012 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
After 18 months in the cellar, the finished wine has a deep opaque color with a complementary violet edge in the glass. Layered notes of kirsch liqueur, rosemary, and nutmeg are found on the nose. The palate experience offers both structure and a complex fruit core that play off each other. The entry has a refined earthiness that evolves into a softer, rounder mid-palate dominated by spicy fruit notes. The finish is marked by a nice acid balance and long, 30 second reminder of what a strong vintage, smart farming and intuitive winemaking can achieve. This wine expresses itself as a classic Cabernet Sauvignon that shows equal parts fruit and soil. With 5-7 years in the cellar it will evolve beautifully and offer delicate nuance over an even longer period.
2012 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
Building on an above-average vintage like 2012, both in terms of yield and overall wine quality, 2013 was exceptional from the early stages of the growing season right through the pick date in mid October. Yields were similar to 2012, but in 2013 one of the real defining characteristics that took wine quality to the next level was clusters that were similar in size to what we saw in the prior vintage, but with smaller berries. That translated to a higher skin to juice ratio for the fermentations, creating wines of intense depth, structure, and phenological maturity.
The 2013 Casa Piena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is made up of the best barrels of clones 337, 341 and clone 7. In the glass the wine has a nearly opaque deep purple hue. The real intrigue comes in the form of the nuanced, deeply layered aromatics. Notes both light and dark emanate towards you: citrus peel, lavender, star anise, cedar bark, crushed blackberries, sandalwood and kirsch liqueur. The palate experience is definitively marked by a pronounced structure and bright high tones, which is the calling card for a wine that had plenty of skin contact during fermentation. Dark notes of cassis, baking chocolate, plum compote, tobacco leaf and oolong tea are neatly layered amidst an upright and bright acid backbone.
Casa Piena is drinking beautifully now. However, 7+ years in the cellar will allow these wines to age extremely graciously plus show their true colors once all the structural components integrate and flesh out.
2011 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
This wine is the result of the synthesis of our winemaking goals and the detailed care and attention paid to all aspects of the farming program. We work intimately with the Barbour Vineyard’s team to come up with a precise farming regimen to accommodate each variable and maximize the potential of the site with the ultimate goal being vine uniformity. This is achieved through utilizing different cover crops in different blocks as well as cultural practices such as leaf-thinning for canopy management and fruit thinning to ward off bunch rot and establish phenological maturity. The most influential variable for 2011 was of course the climate. When you’re working with a challenging year, creative and effective farming practices are paramount to overall success. We couldn’t be happier with the end result of this wine in the glass. It embodies all the character of the site and delivers a rich, complex and complete Cabernet that once again balances all the fruit and savory notes the estate has become famous for.
2010 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
Most people only have one breakout vintage, we’ve been lucky enough to have two. The 2010 represents a giant leap forward qualitatively for Casa Piena. Dialing in the perfect yield for the season while reacting early to the cool summer conditions allowed us to achieve true ripeness in a challenging year. The vintage valley wide is framed by acidity and that only adds to the traditional elegance of the Casa Piena site. The best wines from the property feature balance in several areas: fruit vs. tannin vs. acidity, savory vs. fruity elements, palate depth vs. breadth and palate weight/power vs. some of the more ethereal elements that contribute complexity to great wines. Every year what dictates this achievement changes. The Casa Piena wines have always been driven by the site and this might be the purest expression yet.
2009 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
Never have we seen the importance of the quality of a vineyard’s dirt come into play more than in 2009. We got off to a great start with a dry, warm spring and very little frost to speak of. A larger than average crop insured proper hang time in a warmer than average year. The six inches of rain that fell around October 12th we weren’t prepared for. Here’s where the property bailed us out. We missed maybe a week’s ripening progress as the site dried out seeing no mold or mildew growth on the fruit or any increase in berry size. As sunnier conditions returned we hung everything out for a couple more weeks bringing in the entire estate from October 24th-28th.
The 2009 continues the elevated quality level we saw with the 2008. It’s once more an elegant styled wine being more medium bodied and full of red and black fruits. The nose features rose petals, licorice, sweet tobacco, melted chocolate and blackcurrants. The balance between fruit and soil driven elements continues on the palate with a nice mix of cassis, pain grille, sandalwood, crushed blackberries and blueberries.
2008 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
The third crop is the charm. We’ve been saying it now for a few years emphasizing the growing pains associated with a young vineyard. The first two years can be kind of a mixed bag with both wines being solid but ever changing in barrel and bottle. With this third year, the 2008, we saw good stability of color and flavor and a wine that got steadily better as it aged. Coming from a vintage that still unjustly sits in the afterglow of 2007, the 2008 Casa Piena will surprise a lot of people both as a wine that surpasses anything we’ve ever done before and as the beginning of a high-quality trajectory for this young estate vineyard.
2007 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
The elegance that defines Casa Piena is certainly evident in the 2007 vintage, but it also contains a concentrated fruit quality that we weren’t sure was possible from this area. The fruit is darker in profile than the 2006, more purple/black than red/black, and much deeper at this point in the wine’s evolution. The soil driven elements are present but are masked by the layers of blueberries, blackberries and melted chocolate that the year gave us. This wine feels rounder than its predecessor and has in common with other great wines what we think sets them all apart, the ability to drink great young, middle-aged and old aged. We knew early on 2007 was something special and now here’s the realization of that first thought.
2006 Inaugural Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate, Yountville, Napa Valley
The aroma of the wine greets you before your nose even makes it to the glass. Scents of rose petals, licorice, sweet tobacco leaf and blue and purple fruits mark the effusive nose. The vineyard’s location on the Silverado Trail side of Yountville gives the wine a more elegant palate filled with notes of melted chocolate, espresso roast, lavender, creosote and complemented by a rich minerality that provides backbone and structure. The tannins are evident early with the wine providing a firmer experience than we believed the site would suggest. This wine definitely drinks better after an hour or so in decanter and is in no danger of fading for a decade in the cellar.