Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color with rich and focused aromas and hints of black currant, plum, cedar,
mocha and leather. The palate also shows vanilla and spice notes from the French oak
aging along with balanced and refined tannins leading to a long finish. The wine is
approachable now and will cellar for the next 8 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: When I first met the Bellacosa wines, I had no idea what they were about, but now I do. After an introduction to Daniel Cohn and his Cabernets, I have become a believer. The 2014 Bellacosa Oakville Reserve is rock solid. TASTING NOTES: This wine is beautiful and concentrated. Its aromas and flavors of black fruit and oak make it a natural pairing mate with a thick Porterhouse steak. (Tasted: December 20, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Blessed with 3% Petit Verdot, this wine represents the appellation with class and style, showing lush, smooth layers of crowd-pleasing complexity. With underlying elegance and a sense of balance, it offers red and black-cherry flavors alongside richer teases of mocha and tobacco.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.