Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Galerie Napa Valley Pleinair is a big but elegant expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. Deep purple, it opens with aromas of cassis, currants and wild berries and follows with tobacco, graphite, bay leaf and licorice, finishing with layers of flavors and a well-balanced, long mouthfeel with elegant tannins.
Pair with braised chicken thighs with tomato, saffron and green olives
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Pleinair (there’s a small amount of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) comes from Napa Valley and was brought up just under 60% new French oak. It’s a beautiful, classic – elegant even – Cabernet that has loads of crème de cassis, lead pencil, graphite, and tobacco nuances. It’s very much in the style of the 2014 vintage with its medium to full body, no hard edges, beautiful balance, and sweet tannins. As Napa Valley Cabernet goes, it’s also a stunning value. This beauty is capable of drinking well for at least 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon called Pleinair is a blend of 95.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is aged 20 months in 58% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine has a similarity to a top-flight St.-Julien from Bordeaux. Loads of Christmas fruitcake, cedar wood, tobacco leaf, black currants and spice box all jump from the glass and from the flavors of this round, juicy, medium to full-bodied wine with silky tannins. Drink it over the next 15 or so years.
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.