Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Proprietary Red is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot from their mountainside vineyard not far from the Sonoma County line. The entire vintage is barrel-fermented in Darnajou and Taransaud barrels and aged for 26 months prior to bottling. This looks like a relatively powerful Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, but there are only 300 cases. The wine is full-bodied, with notes of loamy soil, graphite, forest floor, blackberry and cassis with a hint of charcoal and licorice. This is a sensational effort from Levy & McClellan that should drink beautifully for 25 or more years. Ratings 94-96.
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Vinous
Levy & McClellan's 2014 Red Wine is pliant, open-knit and seductive, with no hard edges and tons of sheer appeal. Red cherry jam, mocha and mint give the 2014 energy and resonance. Medium in body, which is to say in the style of the year, the Red Wine has turned out beautifully. It should drink well for the next 10-15 years, maybe more. This is a very strong showing.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.