Gamble Family Vineyards Paramount Proprietary Red 2014
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
At first taste, a full-bodied wine with smooth tannins and layer upon layer of flavor. Dark fruit for sure, also sour cherry and vanilla. Is that bramble, and black currant leaf? Young leather, rootbeer, and even Dr. Pepper. The flavors dance in the mouth, long after the wine is gone. A blend sure to please many palates and pair with an endless variety of cuisines. Enjoy this wine now or over the next 10-15 years.
Blend: 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, 28% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A luscious and ripe style with dried-berry and shaved-chocolate character throughout. Full-bodied, soft-textured and flavorful wine, especially on the finish. Bordeaux blend.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, 28% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot, the deep purple-black colored 2014 Paramount Proprietary Red offers a tar, earth, crushed plums and blackberry preserves-scented nose with a hint of rare beef. Restrained and earthy on the chewy, medium-bodied palate, it finishes with decent length.
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2017-
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Robert
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Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
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Tasting
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James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong
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James
Suckling
With 100 years of agriculture in Napa, it comes as no surprise that the heart and soul of Gamble Family Vineyards is deeply rooted in the soil. Founded by third-generation farmer Tom Gamble in 2005, Gamble Family Vineyards owns prime estate vineyards in many of Napa’s most respected AVAs—Oakville, Mt. Veeder, Rutherford and Yountville. Its winery and by invitation-only tasting room have a quiet presence, sitting modestly in an isolated nook off Highway 29 in the heart of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA. Set back from the main road, Gamble’s mission here is to carry on the heritage of farming that his ancestors sowed when they came to Napa as cattle ranchers in 1916. They left with him a legacy of deep and abiding affinity for the land from which came not only their livelihood, but also a life full of purpose.
Having shadowed his father on the family ranches as a child, Tom has had a hand in the land since an early age. In 1981, at the age of 20, he purchased his first vineyard with several partners, making him the first Gamble to begin growing grapes commercially. “Given this legacy, one does not continue farming for dispassionate reasons alone—there are easier ways to make a living. And thus, taking the next step and putting my name on a bottle of wine does not come lightly,” says Gamble.
Winemaker Jim Close follows Gamble Family Vineyards’ mission of producing wines that seamlessly bring together elegance, balance, nuance, with good structure and moderate alcohol, while embracing and highlighting the characteristics Napa Valley terroir imparts on the wines. Jim Close began his winemaking career in the southern Languedoc region of France, and has made every bottle of Gamble Family Vineyards wine since 2005.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.