Winemaker Notes
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As for the red wines, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa emerges from four separate sites including the Caldwell Vineyard in Coombsville, as well as lesser-known vineyards such as the Crystal Springs and Heimark sites. It is a blend of 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 7.5% Petit Verdot aged in 40% new French oak. The wine has notes of unsmoked cigar tobacco, fruitcake, licorice, red and black currants and Asian spices, followed by an elegant, medium to full-bodied style with impressive purity, texture and length. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.
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James Suckling
A tight and tannic wine that is fine-grained and caressing. Focused and flavorful fruit with bark and hot stone. Cement undertones. Full body. Long and flavorful. Drink in 2020.
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.