Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2014 Proprietary Red Paradise Hills Vineyard is gorgeous. Dark, layered and resonant, the 2014 is so expressive today. Black cherry, plum, licorice, new leather, incense and mocha build in the glass. Pliant and medium in body, with tons of grace, the Paradise Hills is exquisite. Interestingly, the oak is a bit more evident than it is in Mythicus.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Blankiet Estate Proprietary Red from the Paradise Hills Vineyard is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Essentially their flagship wine, they make 840 cases of this cuvée, which is a serious wine for collectors and classicists. It is dense purple in color, with loads of crème de cassis, graphite and forest floor notes, some unsmoked cigar tobacco and, like so many 2014s, a voluptuous, full-bodied texture, plush tannins and a silky finish. Drink it over the next two decades.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
One of Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.