Winemaker Notes
In the glass the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a glowing deep garnet color, with clear ruby edges. The nose is a juicy, brambly mix of raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries and cocoa powder. In the mouth, the wine is richly layered with flavors of milk chocolate covered cherries, cassis, freshly roasted coffee. Supported by well-integrated sweet oak. The finish is broad, and flavors of clove and star anise linger. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Soft and fruity with plum, chocolate and spice aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, firm and showing a pretty center palate of dense ripe tannins and a fresh finish. Better than 2013.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which marks their 42nd vintage, is a dense ruby/plum-colored wine with elegant red and blackcurrant fruit, plum, spice box and earth. It is medium to full-bodied with gentle tannins, pure fruit and lush, round generosity. It is not the biggest and most exuberant Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa, but it is flavorful, complex and beautifully crafted. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
The 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot were sourced from the producer's Chiles Valley estate and organically grown. Dried herb and olive present first around full-bodied notions of crisp cassis and red currant, finishing in a swath of nutmeg oak and firm tannin.
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.
Nestled in the Vaca Mountains on the northeast side of Napa Valley, Chiles Valley is one of the cooler Napa subregions with vineyards at about 600 to 1,200 feet in elevation. The region is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon blanc.