Cook's Flat Reviews
AdVinetures, Chris & Alison Wallace, December 11, 2024
An elixir of Cabernet!
2018 Cook's Flat
https://advinetures.ca/smith-madrone-vineyards-rooted-in-resilience/Cook’s Flat is Smith-Madrone’s top wine and in 2018 it’s a stunner. The colour is deep red with just the slightest amount of bricking at the rim. An elixir of Cabernet! With 13% Cabernet Franc in the blend this is the style of wine that make Cabernet-lovers, Cabernet-lovers. Powerful, structured for the long haul, it is reminiscent of a classified-growth Bordeaux with its cassis flavours, cedar and earth secondary notes. This wine fill your mouth with flavour that stays there for a good minute after you swallow. The tannins have grip that creates definition without astringency. Swirling your glass brings out more complexity and lets those earthy and forest notes take turns coming to the fore. Though it can be approached now, it is on its way up and likely to be even more rewarding as the years and even decades roll by. Extraordinary.
The Wine Advocate, Joe Czerwinski, October 17, 2024
Excellent
2018 Cook's Flat
https://www.robertparker.com/wines/cTkiN2gSBx6LBsdrk/cooks-flat-reserve-201892 points: Matured in 100% new French oak, the current release 2018 Cook's Flat Reserve is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc. There are fewer than 200 cases of this excellent wine, which combines soft oaky and mossy nuances with hints of sage and bay leaf, and it underscores those with a solid base of cassis fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, softly tannic and long on the finish.
Jim Gordon, JamesSuckling.com, July 2024
Inviting and polished
2019 Cook's Flat
https://www.jamessuckling.com/tasting-notes/268192/smith-madrone-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley-spring-mountain-district-cooks-flat-reserve-201993 Points: An inviting and polished nose with aromas of dark cherries, cocoa, plums and tobacco leaves. The palate is full-bodied with finely integrated tannins and fresh acidity complemented by complex notes of blackcurrants, cigar box, eucalyptus and dried herbs. Drink or hold.
Fabulous California, Alison Batz, June 5, 2024
Elegant and rare
2018 Cook's Flat
https://fabulouscalifornia.com/uncategorized/16-california-wines-for-fathers-day/Elegant and rare, a gift of this silky, sensational limited-edition wine will surely honor a similarly elegant dad, especially as it comes tissue-wrapped with a copy of the U.S. Land Office patent signed by President Chester Arthur.
Sultan Khalid, Yahoo Finance, January 24, 2024
A splendid wine
2019 Cook's Flat
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-wines-aren-t-cheap-164202711.html?guccounter=1Very dark in color with a deep, dark aroma to match, this 2019 vintage is a high quality blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in 100% new French Oak barrels. This is a splendid wine, filled with riches that can only add luster to the wonderful achievements of Smith-Madrone’s Cook’s Flat Reserve line-up. Cook’s Flat Reserve represents the family-owned Napa Valley winery’s uncompromising pursuit of perfection in winemaking. Each bottle is numbered and tissue wrapped with a copy of the U.S. Land Office patent which was signed by President Chester A. Arthur, granting ownership of the land to George Cook. This name was picked in tribute to George Cook, the first owner of the property and the person who originally planted the vines there in the 1880s. This wine is a Great Value Wine for the Money.
Jeff Kralik, The Drunken Cyclist, January 24, 2024
Extraordinary. Whoa.
2019 Cook's Flat
https://thedrunkencyclist.com/2024/01/24/i-finally-made-it-up-to-smith-madrone/This was my first time tasting the Cook’s Flat Reserve and it was certainly memorable but by the time it was in my glass, Charlie was going full-on Smith Brother and was recounting a story about making wine “back in the day” in Napa Valley. Thus, I do not have a more “professional” assessment other than: Whoa. Really fantastic. Off the charts in flavor and richness. Extraordinary. 97 Points.
International Wine Review, Don Winkler, November 2, 2023
Silky and pure with a gorgeous full mouth feel
2019 Cook's Flat
https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2023/11/02/smith-madrone-of-napa-valleys-spring-mountain-current-releases-autumn-2023/Dark red. Unusually elegant for a mountain Cabernet but with fine tannic grip and a deep palate that suggests a long and interesting life. If only I were a rock musician with a bank account that would allow me to purchase a case and open one bottle every 18 months! It opens with an emphatic nose of dark cassis, black pepper and minerals. Silky and pure with a gorgeous, full mouth feel, this wine isn’t shy on flavor, but it’s more about elegance than power. I would suggest aging in cellar a couple of years, but if you must drink it now, be sure to decant. Dry-farmed 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc sourced from a mountaintop parcel planted in 1972 [originally planted by George Cook in the 1880s], matured 18 months in 100% new French oak.
Bin 412, Eric Hiltz, October 12, 2023
A crowning jewel
2019 Cook's Flat
https://bin412.com/blog/f/a-visit-to-smith-madrone-wineryThe Cook's Flat Reserve, a crowning jewel in their portfolio, was a symphony of blackberry, plum, black currant and all the other dark fruits you can imagine. This wine epitomized their meticulous approach to blending, resulting in a wine of depth, complexity, and exceptional aging potential. The final blend consisted of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, but as mentioned earlier, that 10% overdelivers in amazing ways providing tremendous perfumed floral notes on the nose and noticeable elegance on the palate.
Mark Oldman, Instagram, January 30, 2023
Elegant and savory
2016 Cook's Flat
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoDeuvmpCE8/Wine Myth No. 354: If it's expensive and red and from Napa, it going to be a gigantic oak bomb. No no no! Just had the 2013 Smith-Madrone "Cook's Flat Reserve," which is dark and concentrated but also elegant and savory. Hints of herbs and cigar box mingle with dark berry fruit on this zesty and markedly minerally wine. This Cabernet Franc-dominated blend is anything but a big bruiser.
International Wine Review, Don Winkler, August 13, 2022
An elegant expression of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 Cook's Flat
https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2022/08/13/current-and-new-releases-of-cabernet-sauvignon-california-chile-argentina-and-elsewhere/94 points: Named after George Cook, who planted this 8 acre parcel on the top of Spring Mountain in the 1880s, this is a singular, expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. Showing dark cassis and slate like minerals on the nose, it’s refined and light on its feet in the mouth, yet packed with flavor. An elegant expression of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Made from a mountain top parcel replanted in 1972. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
The Wine Advocate, May 31, 2022
Smooth and silky
2012 Cook's Flat
93 points: Give it a quick splash in a decanter prior to serving, as it comes out of the bottle with some slightly tarry, black-olive notes, but those give way to more friendly, appealing scents of cedar, cassis and tobacco with air. Like the rest of the wines from Smith-Madrone, acidity plays a prominent role, providing a spine to support aging. It's medium-bodied, smooth and silky yet still firm and crisp, with fresh, herbal overtones on the softly tannic finish.
The Wine Advocate, May 31, 2022
Concentrated, complex and savory
2013 Cook's Flat
95 points: The 2013 Cook's Flat Reserve features perfectly integrated cedar, vanilla and tobacco-tinged cigar box notes with cassis and cherry fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, supple and silky with maturity, yet it still has plenty of life ahead of it. Concentrated, complex and savory, it's a classic mountain Cabernet from a great vintage that can be consumed now and over the next 15 years or so.
Don Winkler, International Wine Review, January 20, 2022
Elegant expression of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 Cook's Flat
https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2022/01/19/smith-madrone-wine-fire-and-economics-in-napa/94 points: Named after George Cook, who planted this 8 acre parcel on the top of Spring Mountain in the 1880s, this is a singular, expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. Showing dark cassis and slate like minerals on the nose, it’s refined and light on its feet in the mouth, yet packed with flavor. An elegant expression of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Made from a mountain top parcel replanted in 1972. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Martin Redmond, Enofylz, Instagram, September 2, 2021
Exceptional
2016 Cook's Flat
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTVgsOXPzqB/This exceptional wine pours an opaque garnet with effusive aromas of black and blue fruit, cassis, tobacco and spice. On the palate it's medium-bodied, elegant, and complex with a supple texture and well -integrated polished, sweet tannins. It shows rich black cherry, ripe black and blueberries, and spice flavors with a long, and very appealing delicious finish. A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon (46%) Cabernet Franc. This world-class wine is made in very limited quantities from the best vintages from their best estate blocks. With decanting, it's approachable now, but will handsomely reward cellaring.
When the Smith brothers bootstrapped the purchase of a 200 acre ranch on Spring Mountain, in the Napa Valley in 1971, it included a vineyard that had been planted over a century before. But the forest had reclaimed much of the land. The brothers had to call in loggers to clear patches of land that would become vineyards.
They sustainably farm 34 acres situated at elevations between 1,300 and 2,000 feet, on steep slopes which range up to 35%. Their estate vineyards are planted to primarily (in ascending order) Riesling, Chardonnay.
WineReviewOnline, Rich Cook, August 24, 2021
Don't hesitate
2016 Cook's Flat
http://winereviewonline.com/wine_reviews.cfm98 points: Looking back at my review of the 2007 vintage of this wine – it’s first – I’m struck by the fact that I could say virtually the same words about this vintage. The blend is different, but the result is strikingly similar. A wine not made in every vintage, it’s only separated out from the rest of the Cabernet program when Stu and Charlie decide that it can do what it’s done here. There’s a “drink me now” aspect to this wine that’s undeniable, which of course can be dangerous to any plans to hold it long term. That said, I’d still recommend betting on this to have a reasonably long run, so if you’re the trophy hunter type who lives for the magic of a fully evolved masterpiece, don’t hesitate.
Austin Beeman blog, December 28, 2020
Seriously luxurious taste of Napa Valley's Mountains
2016 Cook's Flat
http://www.austinbeeman.com/blog/memorable2020One of my 12 most memorable wines of 2020. A red blend patterned after Bordeaux, this is a seriously luxurious taste of Napa Valley’s Mountains with just enough structure to keep from descending into goo. Pretty great stuff.
WineTravelEats, Amber Burke, July 17, 2020
Long and luxurious finish
2016 Cook's Flat
https://napafoodandvine.com/zooming-with-smith-madrone-winery-and-vineyards/The Cook’s Flat Reserve is their premium limited release Cabernet Sauvignon blend (54% Cabernet Sauvignon 46% Cabernet Franc). This is a special wine for special occasions. Smith-Madrone does not make this wine every year, instead only producing small quantities from outstanding vintage years. On the nose, you will find beautiful aromas of forest fruits, damsons, black currants, tobacco leaf, and spice. This complex and sumptuous medium-bodied wine shines brightly in the glass with its silky texture and well-integrated tannins. It has a long and luxurious finish that will make you reach for your glass to take another sip. If I were to use one word to describe this wine it would be “elegant." It is just that good. I’d love this wine with a venison stew. It would be lovely with any kind of game like elk or boar. Beef Wellington also comes to mind as a wonderful pairing option. This is a wine for sharing and making memories with those you love.
Jim Van Bergen, JVB Uncorked, June 27, 2020
This wine is about a winemaker crafting top quality wine for an impassioned enjoyment
2016 Cook's Flat
https://jvbuncorked.com/2020/06/27/smith-madrone-blurring-the-lines-between-old-and-new-world-wines/Having tasted the 2009 and the 2013, the 2016 is poised to be quite popular. The 2016 blend is comprised of 54% cabernet sauvignon and 46% cabernet franc; it is aged 19 months in new French oak barrels. Featuring an expansive and glamorous nose, the palate experiences intense full fruit: red plum, blackberry, and black plum with a touch of cassis. Secondary and rich savory notes of tobacco, potting soil, aged leather, forest floor and vanilla tantalize the side and top palates, as the luxurious mouthfeel expands and bathes the tongue, offering greater enjoyment. An extended finish on this blend is more than satisfactory- I immediately began formulating food pairing and a wine dinner based around this bottle.
When I contemplate Cook’s Flat Reserve (which one does, with such a lovely glass of wine) this wine is about a winemaker crafting top quality wine for an impassioned enjoyment. What is fascinating about this wine is how delicious, enjoyable, and intense it is in its youth, for a world-class red blend that has Old World styling. For similar styles from Bordeaux, a wine would have to age considerably longer than four years to have any similar balance - but Cook’s Flat Reserve demonstrates great balance and structure along with the ability to age and still retain quality fruit, acidity and tannin. With a decade of age, that intensity evolves into refined structure with even greater complexity- so either youthful or fully aged, you maximize enjoyment with this bottle.
Should you be looking for a top-flight California red blend that speaks of the best of both the Old World and new world in great wine making, this is the bottle you will want to seek out. Like me, once you’ve had it, you’ll want to have several from each year in your cellar, to age and enjoy, while knowing you can still drink them young for an exceptional experience without having to wait 10-20 years. However, those with patience will reap the benefits.
Rick Dean, StrongCoffeeToRedWine, July 2, 2020
A labor of love
2016 Cook's Flat
https://strongcoffeetoredwine.com/smith-madrone-vineyards-and-winery/This is a special wine, a labor of love. It is created from a small group of the best barrels of the vintage. Since every vintage is different, you can expect the blend also to be different. The 2016 blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Cabernet Franc, aged 19 months in new French oak barrels. This is an expensive wine. A precious gift for the person(s) who want more than just a great glass of wine, but an immersion into the 1,800 feet elevation slopes of Cook’s Flat as well as the winemaking skill of the maker. Someone who drinks and contemplates the wine. They admire how it changes from the first glass to the last. I am not sure when the 2016 vintage will be released, but even in its youth, it is an incredible sip. I can only imagine what will transform in the years to come. Dark blue and black fruit aromas waft out of my glass. Black currant, plum, even prune intermix with earth and vanilla. The palate offered similar flavors and so much more, including a tad of dark, dark chocolate. We drank this bottle over two days. I wish I had documented the differences on day two. Shame on me. Both days were magical. This was special.
Nancy Brazil, PullThatCork, July 18, 2020
An elegant, complex and evolved wine that is still bright and youthful
2009 Cook's Flat
https://pullthatcork.com/2016/smith-madrone/An elegant, complex and evolved wine that is still bright and youthful. Complex dark fruit and cedar aromas are followed with dark plum and red fruit flavors. Hints of cedar and pencil shavings add complexity. Tannins are silky smooth and the finish is very long. Delicious.
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Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery
P.O. Box 451/ 4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, CA 94574
Telephone: 707.963.2283
