Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Intensely aromatic and savory, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a real beauty. Lavender, grilled herbs, blue/purplish fruit and chocolate are all amplified. The Cabernet offers a captivating mix of Napa Valley richness and classic structure. At ten years of age, the 2014 is just at the beginning of its first plateau of maturity. This is another wine that was very showy from barrel, but that then shut down after bottling.
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Decanter
A brooding and nuanced bouquet of red and black fruit, petroleum jelly, woodsmoke, bitter cocoa, truffle and violet leads into a supple, elegant palate with fine savoury tannins and juicy acidity. Balanced, sapid and sophisticated.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The softer, more sexy and up-front style of the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon makes it already drinking and appealing. Deep ruby/purple, with notes of black and red currants, cedar, licorice and forest, the wine has terrific fruit, medium to full body, ripe, well-integrated tannins and adequate acidity. Drink it over the next 15 or so years(93+).
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.