2012 Coho Headwaters Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Napa Valley's "Watershed" 2012 Vintage: Brooks Painter's 93-Point Classic

On October 12, 2005, a 56-year-old male entered a large wine storage facility in Vallejo. Most would have brought a Laguiole corkscrew. Instead, the intruder brought a box of matches and a couple gallons of fuel. The fire he lit destroyed hundreds of thousands of bottles of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Some wineries had umbrella policies that covered at least the cost of the damaged wine. But not Gary Lipp and Brooks Painter.

All but wiped out, the partners considered cashing in their remaining chips and walking away from Coho, but then determined otherwise. With a surplus of grapes from the immense bumper crop of 2005, Lipp and Painter pivoted from crafting a 100% Coombsville Cabernet and produced their first “Headwaters” red blend. Now into their 12th vintage, it was the Headwaters’ success that kept Coho above water.

The 2012 combines powerfully structured Cabernet Sauvignon from the Perata Vineyard on State Lane in the heart of Yountville with cool-climate Cabernet from three select Coombsville sites that contribute sleek minerality and silky textures. Merlot contracted from Tourmaline Vineyard provides supple, decadent flavors (in late 2012, Tourmaline was scooped up by Paul Hobbs and renamed Nathan Coombs Estate Vineyard — now the source for Hobbs’ $400 Estate Cab, which has earned 96 points from Parker).

While the 2012 growing season was exceptionally dry, it was also quite mild, absent the heat spikes that often blister Napa Valley clusters during the summer months. Not since the release of the phenomenal 2007s had a Napa Valley vintage been received with as much fanfare as 2012. Chuck Wagner at Caymus set the stage, calling the vintage a “watershed year.” Painter, who first cut his winemaking teeth at the side of Warren Winiarski at Stag’s Leap, crafted the richest and most polished Coho “Headwaters” since the arsonist lit the match.

58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple. Big, bold, and filled with chiseled aromas of crushed black fruits, anise, and cedar. We spent two hours tasting out Zalto Bordeaux stemware. As is the case with so many top-notch 2012s, the 2012 “Headwaters” was plush, forward and supple out of the gate, suggesting a short window of drinking opportunity. As the night wore on, this classic Bordeaux blend reined itself in and tightened up, showing off a profound black-fruit core, with hints of licorice and crushed-stone minerality — before finishing with dusty tannins that argue gracefully for 10 years of cellar slumber.

Call this one an early holiday gift from Gary Lipp. The last 600 bottles of the 2012 “Headwaters” are up for grabs. 93 points from James Suckling. $55 on release. Only $30/bottle today to help make room in Gary’s cellar.