Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux’s premier consultant is a serious, voluptuous, yet pure and even elegant Cabernet that makes the most of this terrific vintage. Made at the Alpha Omega winery, this purple/blue colored beauty offers sensational purity in its crème de cassis, graphite, scorched earth and licorice aromas and flavors. Big, rich, full-bodied and opulent, it nevertheless has terrific mid-palate depth, fine, sweet tannin and a finish that won’t quit. It’s sensational today, yet will keep for 2-3 decades.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
His 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine is a prodigious effort and maybe the best he’s made to date, even though one would expect that, like most wineries, the 2013 or 2015 would be the pinnacle of great Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This beauty (14.9% alcohol) has an opaque purple color and a beautiful, sweet nose of blueberry liqueur intermixed with some blackberries, crème de cassis, licorice and graphite. It is full-bodied, has a velvety texture and fine tannins, a terrific length of close to 50 seconds, and a large-scaled, voluptuous mouthfeel that just goes on and on. Purity, richness and overall equilibrium are top-flight. Drink it now or drink it in 20-30 years, as it is that well-balanced and potentially long-lived.
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.