Winemaker Notes
A rich, ethereal style wine. Sweet tobacco, herbs, mint, licorice, new leather, smoke and incense are some of the many notes that flesh out in the Rapszodia. This is a wine built in pure elegance and finesse. The silky, gracious finish leaves a lasting impression.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Reminding me of a great Graves with its smoky, darker style (especially with extended aeration), the 2014 Rapszodia is based on 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot brought up in mostly new barrels. Still youthful but clearly in its prime drinking window, it offers a ruby hue with no signs of bricking and a beautiful nose of ripe currants, leafy herbs, cedar pencil, darker cherries, and sappy flowers. I love its overall complexity, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with terrific concentration, a layered, voluptuous mouthfeel, and a heavenly finish. It needs an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon and has another decade or two of overall longevity. It's absolutely stunning.
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Vinous
The 2014 Rhapszodia is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Powerful, deep and resonant, it is incredibly hedonistic and intellectual at the same time. It offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry/plum fruit, new leather, licorice, mocha, cedar and espresso. The 2014 remains fresh, complex and wonderfully dynamic. It’s a totally alluring wine that hits all the right spots. In 2014, Rhapszodia was equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, as opposed to the pure Franc that is the norm these days.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Rapszodia Proprietary Red is a completely different blend than the 2015, although Cabernet Franc still dominates at 65%, with the balance Merlot. Production was essentially the same as 2015 for this wine because of the Merlot component. A gorgeous nose of forest floor, dark, ripe raspberries and blueberries with white flowers jump from the glass of this wine, which is essentially a Napa version of a great Cheval Blanc from the Bordeaux St.-Emilion appellation. The wine was aged in 85% new French oak and shows terrific texture, a pristine, pure flavor profile and a long finish with no hard edges. It should drink well for 15-20 years.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
One of Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.