Nellcôte Wines from Napa Valley

Nellcôte is the passion project of Tyler Olbres, a former communications director for several apparel and footwear brands. He is now chasing the upper end of the Napa Valley price spectrum, and the red wines are pretty impressive. He sources fruit from some coveted benchland and hillside vineyards. There are some Formula One racing references in the proprietary wine names. He wisely tapped the very talented Phillip Corallo-Titus of Chappellet and Titus fame to be his winemaker / consultant.

 I was rightly impressed with the Cabernets, even though they carry a very ambitious price tag for a novel Napa brand. Very tastefully executed, and better than many from the valley at similar price points.


Nellcôte 2015 '500 Chevaux' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($125) A very fine Napa Cabernet made by winemakers Phillip Carallo-Titus (Chappellet) and Ry Richards, it has a lively, fresh nose of violet and rose petals, and rich mulberry and black currant fruit, graceful licorice, vanilla, espresso and gravelly mineral notes that let you know this isn't valley floor fruit. The name '500 Chevaux' translates to '500 horses,' in reference to a typical Formula One race car. The alcohol clocks in at 14.8%, which isn't too high for a Napa Cab in this league. I appreciate the freshness that this wine shows, and it bodes well for its longevity. (94 points)

Nellcôte 2015 'Rallye 76' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($225) The flagship has a bit more Petit Verdot in the blend and has a tad more plushness, intensity, and cohesiveness. As lively as it is intense, it shows rose, lilac, coriander spice and espresso notes on the nose, and focused blueberry, black currant, tar, gravel, and licorice flavors through the long, grippy finish. It's less sappy and more precise than so many high end Napa Cabs these days. It's great to taste a wine in this league that has real finesse, as I've noted in my reviews of Dalla Valle right here at Modern Wine. (95 Points)

Nellcôte 2017 Rose Mount Veeder Napa Valley ($60) The rose is a blend of 51% Malbec and 49% Syrah from Bald Mountain Ranch on Mt. Veeder in the Southwestern corner of Napa Valley. It's fairly dark orange-pink in color and I'm not sure I really get it. The nose isn't very floral or really all that fragrant. It does have nice guava and cherry fruit flavors in the mid-palate, but it wants more acidity on the finish. An interesting wine, but not really what I'm looking for in a rose, and my inclination wouldn't be to look to these grape varieties to make a high-end rose. (84 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber