Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I like the juicy fruit and peat and mushrooms. Full-bodied, juicy and fruity. Soft and round tannins and a pretty finish. 86% cabernet sauvignon, 6% petit verdot and 8% malbec. Drink in 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Their 2014 Trilogy is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot. It is a wine of suppleness, complexity and loads of licorice, tobacco leaf, blackcurrants, spice and some background oak and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, with gorgeous fruit, texture and length, this is a beauty to drink over the next 10-15 or so years, although it is already displaying its undeniable charm and lusciousness.
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Tasting Panel
Smooth and ripe with lush, juicy plum and cassis; juicy and intense with lovely balance and finesse; notes of sweet vanilla oak and spice. 86% Cab Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot from the trio of this blend, yielding rounded, red fruit-driven flavor. Dense tannins shoulder its body and weight, as savory anise, dried herb and pencil characteristics figure in.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Attractively complex with notes of smoky oak join with the polished black cherry aromas whose balanced mix of richness and fruit pave the way for the supple, tannic yet refined textural impressions and the black cherry, briar and lightly curranty flavors that follow suit from front to back. If the oak is a tad pushy, it never takes over, and it is varietal fruit that rules the roost here. A half-decade in bottle will make things that much better, but, truth be told, this wine can be enjoyed in its youth for its well-mannered energy.
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.