Morlet, Coeur De Vallée - Napa Valley 2021

Luc and Jodie Morlet: A heartfelt journey in Napa

Luc and Jodie Morlet craft exceptional terroir-driven wines from the Napa Valley and Sonoma Coast. Their historic winery, located in St. Helena, serves as the heart of their operations, while their "Cœur de Vallée" vineyard, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, is nestled in Oakville, in the heart of Napa Valley.

Luc Morlet, who hails from France, is highly praised by renowned critics such as Robert M. Parker Jr. and Jeb Dunnuck for his extraordinary ability to blend French winemaking expertise with the distinct character of Californian fruit.

Luc's unwavering commitment to quality and his low-intervention winemaking approach result in wines that are powerful yet refined, each with a unique personality and exceptional aging potential.

The 2021 Vintage: 100pts by Colin Hay, The Drinks Business

In 2021, the January and February rains were followed by a dry season, leading to small shoots. Early flowering limited the harvest. The drought conditions produced small berries with excellent intensity, color, concentration, and acidic structure. The warm days in October allowed for uniform tannin ripening while preserving freshness.

Rich and concentrated, yet elegant and refined, the superb 2021 'Cœur de Vallée' offers a magnificent texture with incredible depth and density. Silky tannins provide a striking softness, culminating in a complete and balanced wine.

Decanter.com

100

byJonathan Cristaldithe1/25/2025

This wine has blossomed into pure sophistication since I last tasted it. In the context of a vertical tasting of Cœur de Vallée wines going back to 2007, 2021 was a clear standout, showcasing exceptional structure. The 2020 vintage is one of the best wines from that challenging year in Napa, and the forthcoming 2022 is also excellent—but the 2021 is a masterful wine for both near-term enjoyment and long-term cellaring. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, Cœur de Vallée is native yeast fermented in stainless steel tanks and puncheons, then aged 16 months in up to 85% new French oak. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Luc Morlet sources barrels from Gautier Frères (Burgundy) and Darnajou (Bordeaux), believing that even at 5%, the Cabernet Franc contributes essential structure, complexity, and aromatic lift. Elegant, with deep concentration and staying power, this is a medium- to full-bodied wine featuring pure blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, nuanced by sagebrush, spearmint, and tobacco. Long and layered, with graphite minerality and firm, superfine tannins that soar in intensity on the mid-palate yet melt effortlessly on the mineral-laced finish. Just remarkable. When Luc Morlet came across this 9.7-hectare vineyard for sale in the Oakville AVA, he noticed an unnamed creek. In 2016, Constellation Brands received permission to name it To Kalon Creek. Morlet notes that the site is low-vigour, composed of 40–60% well-draining gravel, and planted to two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc.

Bettane & Desseauve

byThierry Desseauvethe12/4/2024

Le millésime se distingue par une dimension nouvelle, moins enrobée, plus subtile. La palette aromatique séduit par ses fins épices et sa fraîcheur florale et fruitée. La longueur est tonique et délicate, l’ensemble ouvre une nouvelle facette, ultra élégante, du cru.

Wine Advocate

byJoe Czerwinskithe10/17/2024

A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee is Morlet's Napa Valley calling card, drawn from the family's estate vineyard in Oakville. There are 1,200 cases of this richly concentrated beauty, which marries blueberries and cherries on the nose, while being full-bodied and velvety on the palate and layered and long on the finish.

matthewjukes.com

byMatthew Jukesthe9/18/2024

This is a super-skilful, stunningly balanced wine with incredible purity and length. The fruit is pristine, and the oak (80% new for 18 months) plays a vital role in the majestic aura here.

The Drink Business

100

byColin Haythe9/2/2024

Morlet Coeur de Vallée 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; 95% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 15.6% alcohol; aged 16 months in French oak, 85% of which was new; tasted in person with Luc Morley at the CVBG press tasting; essentially the last part of the Oakville Valley to be planted though historically vines had been grown there; a terroir of gravel on a very fine-grained loamy subsoil, the alluvial deposits washed down from the Kalon Creek; picked four rows at a time with a team of 8 at night; naturally fermented in 600-litre French oak puncheons; unfined and unfiltered). Such an impressive wine, above all in this excellent vintage. The 2020 was fabulous, especially given the context of a difficult vintage, this is as brilliant in the context of an exceptional vintage (not least as there is no hint here of the drought conditions that were the challenge of this year). For me, alongside Cristina’s Signature and the Peter Michael wines, this is the pick of the US releases on la place this year. And of those this is also perhaps the most Bordelais. Cedar. Black cherry, black currant, bramble, damson, a little walnut and coffee bean and perhaps a suggestion of fine first-press peppery olive oil. Violet, iris and iris bulb too. Pen ink. There’s staggering concentration here, and great density – the effect achieved by the wonderfully authentic Cabernet Sauvignon tannins whose fine granularity engages to fight with the external parameters of the palate, never allowing the wine to veer far from a supremely well-defined central spine. That might imply a wine that’s a bit severe. But that’s not at all the case here. For this is so silkily textured. The quality of the pixilating tannins is remarkable and that gives this an incredible clarity and crystallinity in the mid-palate for something with so much extract and concentration. And that, in turn, allows the fruit to dance and play, to glisten and glide, releasing sapidity and the Cabernet Franc’s herbal florality, above all with gentle aeration in the mouth. Exquisite already, but with the capacity to age glacially (this is more of a vin de garde than the more immediately accessible 2020). The length of my tasting note indicates my sheer enthusiasm. Joyous. 100.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

byJane Ansonthe7/3/2024

The texture is luscious, with a cut of orange zest adding depth and balance, full of Napa character in terms of its muscularity and pleasure. Blueberry, damson, black cherry, rose bud, capsicum, olive paste, cocoa bean, espresso, tobacco, all fermented in 600 litre french oak casks. A dry season, with rain only really falling in January and February, and although temperatures didn't climb too high, and the wines have an intensity to them. 85% new oak barrels for ageing, Darnajou and Gauthier Frères. Luc Morlet owner and winemaker at this vineyard has the To Kalon creek running through it. Organic farming, bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The Wine Independent

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe2/13/2024

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee, with 5% Cabernet Franc in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little swirling, the nose erupts with scents of boysenberry preserves and blackcurrant jelly leading to nuances of wild sage, violets, and underbrush plus a hint of tapenade. The medium to full-bodied palate has wonderful freshness, with firm, plush tannins and bags of black fruit and mineral layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

Jeb DUNNUCK

byJeb Dunnuckthe12/26/2023

Coming from Oakville and just about all Clone 4, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur De Vallee is a screaming good effort displaying a rich, full-bodied, layered, and powerful style that somehow manages to stay flawlessly balanced and elegant. Jammy currants, dark chocolate, tobacco, black olive, and lead pencil shavings all define this remarkable 2021, which is deep purple-hued and has ripe, polished tannins and flawlessly integrated fruit, oak, tannins, and acidity. It deserves 4-5 years in the cellar and should hit full maturity a decade after the vintage. It will keep for 30+ years.

Vinous

byAntonio Gallonithe12/4/2023

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Cœur de Vallée is a powerful, brooding wine. In most vintages, the Cœur de Vallée is an extrovert, but that is not at all the case in 2021. Blackberry jam, espresso, licorice, cloves and cedar emerge with air, but only with great reluctance. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2021 is an infant.

Information:	Details:
Couleur	Rouge
Cépages	Cabernet Sauvignon 95 % Cabernet Franc 5 %
Appellation	Napa Valley
Millesime	2021
Contenance	Bouteille (75 cl)

Information:

Details:

Couleur

Rouge

Cépages

Cabernet Sauvignon 95 %
Cabernet Franc 5 %

Appellation

Napa Valley

Millesime

2021

Contenance

Bouteille (75 cl)

Un repas	Autour du repas
Un cadeau	Faire une découverte !

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Morlet, Coeur De Vallée - Napa Valley 2021

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