Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The biggest cuvée that Herold makes for Robert Kamen is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, at 2,100 cases, from a vineyard dominated by the volcanic basalt elevation between 1,100 and 1,500 feet. It sits above the iconic Monte Rosso Vineyard, owned by Gallo. Blueberry and blackberry fruit, forest floor, dusty/loamy notes, roasted herbs and meats all jump from the glass of this opaque purple wine. It’s dense, rich and built for long-term cellaring, this wine can be approached now because it is a 2014, but likely will evolve for 25-30 or more years.
Rating: 96+ -
Vinous
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon (Moon Mountain District) has developed beautifully. Still quite powerful and intense, it remains quite youthful. That's not a huge surprise, given how well all these wines have aged. Black cherry, plum, graphite, leather and lavender race across the palate. This bold, luscious Cabernet offers textural opulence married to mountain structure.
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.
Covering the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, facing the city of Sonoma, Moon Mountain District is one of Sonoma’s newest sub-appellations. Here the well-drained, red volcanic and ash soils produce hauntingly intense red wines, mainly from Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties.