Winemaker Notes
A wine with muscle, yet elegantly-proportioned tannins. In contrast to the highly-acclaimed 2013 vintage, aromas and flavors are darker with hints of plum skin, dark chocolate, bay leaf, and tobacco. Elegance and nuance is attributed to the lovely heritage See clone of Cabernet Sauvignon with its vitalacidity and heady aromatics. Cabernet Franc from this majestic Oakville site is the coda, offering whiffs of rose petal, cardamom, and even lavender.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc is a beauty. Dense ruby/purple, with notes of camphor, incense, blue and black fruits and forest floor, the wine hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful fruit purity, integrated acidity, tannin and an elegant, long finish. This is another example of Napa Cabernet at its quintessentially most elegant.
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Vinous
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc from Oakville Ranch. Scents of tobacco, espresso, red cherry, spice, cedar and new leather lend notable aromatic breadth. Vibrant and elegant, with just the right amount of development for its age, the 2014 is quite attractive. Like so many wines in this vintage, it is a bit on the slender side but retains very good depth.
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James Suckling
A red with lots of blackcurrant and chocolate character on the nose and palate. Full to medium body, good fruit and a friendly tannin backbone.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.