Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackberry, mushroom and floral aromas follow through to a medium body and firm and round tannins that are tight and focused. A clarity and focus to the wine. Tension and energy.
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Jeb Dunnuck
First made in 2008 with the goal to make a high-quality, affordable wine, the 2014 Db4 is a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend that offers high-class notes of crème de cassis, blackcurrants, licorice, graphite and a touch of toasty oak. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and with notable structure, it’s a great wine for readers looking for an introduction to the wines of this great estate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Proprietary DB4 showed loads of black cherry, a good bit of wood spice, earth, and a medium to full body. This wine has Pomerol lushness, but also aromatics reminiscent of a great grand cru red Burgundy from the Côte de Nuits. It is perfumed, medium-bodied and beautifully textured and pure. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.
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.