Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fantastic complexity. Blueberry, black currant and violets on the nose. Licorice too. Full body, rich and dense yet always shows tension and length. Layered. A baby now but shows brilliance. Needs four to fine years to come together. Tannic and structured.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From Knights Valley, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot and Malbec. More earthy, tannic, muscular and structured, with loads of spice, this wine comes from a vineyard across from the famous Les Pavots of Peter Michael. While it doesn’t quite have the fruit and intensity of the other red wines in Luc Morlet’s portfolio, readers who like more spice and earth in their Cabernet-based wines will appreciate it more than I did. Nevertheless, it is a backward wine, which is atypical for a 2014. Several years of bottle age will be beneficial.
Rating: 91+
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.
A small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.