Vinous 2024 Wine of the Year: 2021 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | NOVEMBER 20, 2024

Choosing the Vinous Wine of the Year for 2024 from the more than 35,000 wines our team of reviewers tasted during the last twelve months was a daunting task. Over the course of long discussions and lengthy deliberations, one wine stood out. A Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a magnificent vintage that embodies exceptional quality and pedigree, with a price tag that remains quite accessible within the realm of the world’s very finest bottles. That wine is the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate from Philip Togni Vineyard.

Tasting the 2021 Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate from barrel, Fall 2022.

A Little Historical Background

A native of England, Philip Togni began his wine career as a student under Emile Peynaud at the University of Bordeaux, where he earned the Diplôme National d’Oenologie while working at Château Lascombes in Margaux. Togni arrived in Napa Valley in 1959. His early stints included time at Mayacamas, Chalone, Gallo and Inglenook in what were the early days of Napa Valley in the post-Prohibition era. In the mid 1960s, Togni helped found Chappellet, where he made some of his first iconic wines. A few years ago, I ran into a well-known collector at the Meadowood resort in St. Helena. “What are your five all-time top wines from Napa Valley?” he asked. I had to think a little about wines #2-5. Wine #1 was obvious. It could only be one wine—the 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon Togni made during his stint at Chappellet. The 1969 remains one of the greatest and most singular wines ever made in Napa Valley. Togni spent seven years at Chappellet before moving to Cuvaison, where his achievements include the stellar 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon, made from Spring Mountain fruit.

Inspired by that wine, Togni and his wife, Birgitta, purchased a ranch on Spring Mountain the same year. At the time, the property, perched at 2,000 feet in elevation, was basically a forest, although vines had been planted at some point in the late 1800s. The Tognis developed their vineyard in 1981, opening a new chapter in Napa Valley history with their first release, the 1983 Cabernet Sauvignon. Those early days were not easy. The spread of phylloxera and virus required extensive replantings in the early 1990s.

Lisa Togni, center, flanked by parents Philip and Birgitta, has taken her family’s wines to a new level of quality while also quietly establishing herself as one of the most respected and admired winemakers in Napa Valley.

Since then, the Tognis have gone on to craft a remarkable series of Cabernets that have become modern-day benchmarks for Napa Valley. Many of their recent releases have been positively stellar. Daughter Lisa Togni joined her parents in the 2000s and now runs the estate alongside them, ensuring the future here is in very good hands.

Video: Lisa and Philip Togni discuss the history of their Spring Mountain estate vineyard.

Arriving at the vineyard today, it is not hard to envisage how things looked in the early 1980s. Most of the property is still wild. There is no sign or elaborate driveway, none of the fancy trappings seen throughout Napa Valley. The entrance, reached through the winding turns of Spring Mountain Road, is very easy to miss. A simple chain-link fence gate secured with a combination lock is the only sign visitors have arrived at the correct address. The wines reflect the same artisan aesthetic and mountain character that has defined them since the early 1980s. Togni's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the essence of modern-day classicism and expression of place in a superb vintage for this benchmark Napa Valley estate.

 #1: 2021 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

$199, Napa Valley, California, United States

AG: “By now, Vinous readers know Napa Valley experienced a stellar vintage in 2021. When it comes to quality, pedigree, the ability to age and relative value, Philip Togni’s Cabernet Sauvignon Estate checks all the boxes. For those reasons, it is our wine of the year in 2024. The Togni family has crafted exceptional wines of place from their estate on Spring Mountain for five decades. These sturdy mountain Cabernets can be quite seductive young, but they are built for the cellar. For those who want to experience fine artisan Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the pioneering families in Napa Valley, look no further.”

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an outrageously beautiful wine and also one of the wines of the year. A soaring, exotic bouquet makes a strong opening statement. Pliant and creamy, with mind-blowing textural finesse, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. Hard candy, mint, lavender, Kirsch and spice linger on the close. The 2021 possesses mind-blowing purity and exceptional finesse.

99 points – Antonio Galloni, December 2023