2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

In 2014, the Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, virile and imposing, with notable depth and intensity for the year. Grilled herbs, smoke, tar, graphite, tobacco and licorice meld together in a deep, effortless wine that remains quite embryonic. The darker tonalities of fruit recall the 2013, but the forward, dense fruit leans more towards the style of the 2012. The story of 2014 comes down to rain. Specifically, there was none, and the wine very much reflects that struggle with nature.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was aged for 17 months in 45% new French oak, is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine is dense purple, with sweet cedar wood, unsmoked cigar tobacco, creme de cassis, and black raspberries in a classic, almost St.-Julien/Pauillac style. This emerged from a valley floor vineyard on the west side of Napa, where Christian Moueix told me that 2014 was characterized by generally slightly higher than average temperatures for the summer with only minor heat spikes in June and July. August and September went off without a hitch, and the harvest took place during the month of September. This full-bodied wine will hit its peak in 3-5 years and last for 25-30. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. Deep, layered and rich in texture, it has aged impressively. A blast of dark cherry, plum, incense, leather and mocha all rush across the palate. It's a very young wine. There is perhaps a bit of edginess in the contours, but that is a pretty small quibble for a wine that was just in its third vintage in 2014. Red-toned fruit, dried herbs, mocha, lavender and bay leaf linger on the finish.