Winemaker Notes
St. Eden is based upon an 11-acre rocky knoll that is part of a beautiful estate located just north of the Oakville Crossroad. Eden is an historical reference to this region’s designation on nineteenth century maps. The red rocky soil of this northfacing site originates from high in the Vaca Mountains. St. Eden, which appeared first in the 2001 vintage, reliably shows great focus, an opulent “sweet” center and notes of crème de cassis, dark chocolate, and roasted herbs. Mineral-tinged and broad on the palate, the wine consistently displays fine-grained tannins and a lush concentration.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The purity of fruit is fantastic with blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and hints of walnut shell. Full-bodied, tight and very focused. Chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Needs three or four years to come together. Top 100 Wine Of 2018
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Oakville release (yet it’s from a steep hillside vineyard), the 2014 St. Eden has lots of graphite and dusty earth character as well as classic dark fruits, white chocolate, and toasty oak notes. It’s a big, full-bodied, elegant, multi-dimensional beauty that has everything going for it. It’s up with the crème de la crème of the vintage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 St. Eden offers up expressive crème de cassis, black cherry compote and blueberry pie notes with hints of cedar chest, baking spices, menthol and pencil lead. Full-bodied, tightly packed, taut and muscular, it has a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and lovely vivacity coming through on the long, earthy finish.
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Vinous
The 2014 St. Eden is dense, plush and powerful, in other words, a classic wine from the eastern side of Oakville. Dark plum, blackberry, mocha, espresso, lavender and spice build as this plush, voluptuous Cabernet Sauvignon builds in the glass. Racy and forward, with tons of immediacy, the 2014 St. Eden is a total delight.
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Wine Spectator
Pure, rich and vibrant, with a tasty core of plum, blackberry, currant, anise and cedar flavors. Most impressive for the weight and refinement, remaining quite elegant and graceful despite the size. Best from 2020 through 2034.
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.