Winemaker Notes
This is our eleventh vintage from this small, outstanding vineyard on the lower slopes of the eastern Oakville hills. “Pedregal” means a rocky place in Spanish, and that is certainly a distinguishing feature of the site. During 2008 we agreed to a long-term lease of this vineyard which gives us complete control even through any change in ownership, so this is the fourth vintage we’ve directed farming ourselves.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard is a dead ringer for a great vintage of Ducru-Beaucaillou. Pure crème de cassis, graphite, smoked earth, and tobacco leaf notes all flow to a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that exudes class, elegance, and purity, all while still carrying serious depth and richness. Made from 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petit Verdot, it has ripe tannin, impeccable balance and a great finish, all promising a long life.
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Decanter
This blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petit Verdot comes from a small hillside vineyard in eastern Oakville, just below the Dalla Valle winery. Pedregal means 'rocky place' in Spanish, and the soil is iron-rich volcanic rock. The vintage, a drought year, was classic, with harvest on 19 September. The wine is dark, deep, and layered, with mineral overtones and a silky richness, its tannins smoothed by ageing for 25 months in new French oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard, blended with 12% Petit Verdot, is aging gracefully and just beginning to soften at the edges. The nose is woodsy and spicy with porcini powder, aniseed and new leather aromas complementing a core of blackcurrant. The full-bodied palate offers plush, youthful black fruit structured by velvety tannins and juicy acidity, and it has a long, graphite-laced finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2014 Ramey Pedregal Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent, muscular wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows up with vibrant red and dazzling blue fruits in its aromas and flavors. Enjoy its generous palate textures with a juicy, grilled ribeye. (Tasted: May 13, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.