Another stunner is the 2014 Chardonnay Sugar Shack. This wine, which was harvested August 18, 2014, was one of the earliest picks Mark Aubert had ever done. The wine offers up great fruit, which includes notes of pineapple, green... Read More
Score Range (98-100) - Tasted from barrel, with about one year to go before it will be bottled, the 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is shaping up to be a true icon. From an analytical point of view, this vintage records slightly... Read More
Floral aromas accent sturdy notes of grilled meat and almost delicate notes of red berries in the open, approachable 2014 Cote Rotie La Mouline. Medium to full-bodied, it shows great purity and a supple, silky, classic feel. It's... Read More
Now that it's in bottle, the 2014 Cote Rotie La Turque has exceeded all of my earlier expectations. It's got those classic Côte Rôtie elements on the nose of smoked bacon, olives and violets, seamlessly entwined with supple... Read More
The deep garnet-purple colored 2014 Harlan Estate offers up subtle cassis, black cherries and crushed blackberries notes with tons of savory and earthy layers: forest floor, black soil, charcoal and dried herbs, plus wafts of... Read More
Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard simply sings of potpourri, spice cake and rose hip tea with menthol, tilled soil, tobacco and earth plus a waft of crushed stones. The full-bodied... Read More
From Pritchard Hill, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard Pritchard Hill is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the iron-rich, red soils of that famous hill above the Oakville crossroads. There are 425 cases of this wine made from... Read More
The utterly perfect 2014 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon (1,500 cases) has everything one could possibly want in a Cabernet. Inky purple-colored to the rim, with a glorious nose of white flowers, crème de cassis, hints of blackberry... Read More
Another one of my favorites is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon CCS, which is clone 4 from the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. This is aged in 100% new Darnajou and is one of the larger cuvées at 510 cases. Wonderfully sweet, velvety... Read More
The 2014 Screaming Eagle is an 880-case blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. The telltale sign of this iconic wine is its extraordinary purity of crème de cassis fruit, which is displayed abundantly... Read More
The 2014 Syrah Piranha Waterdance is young and unevolved (more than the Grenache) and sports an inky blue color to go with lots of minerality, notes of cassis, violets and pepper, full-bodied richness and a surprisingly serious,... Read More
The 2014 Syrah Piranha Waterdance is young and unevolved (more than the Grenache) and sports an inky blue color to go with lots of minerality, notes of cassis, violets and pepper, full-bodied richness and a surprisingly serious,... Read More
Leading off the 2014s from barrel, the 2014 Grenache Shakti (88% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre, 4% Petite Sirah and the rest Touriga Nacionale) comes largely from the Cumulus Vineyard, with smaller portions from Eleven Confessions, the... Read More
Leading off the 2014s from barrel, the 2014 Grenache Shakti (88% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre, 4% Petite Sirah and the rest Touriga Nacionale) comes largely from the Cumulus Vineyard, with smaller portions from Eleven Confessions, the... Read More
The 2014 Grenache Testa dei Cherubini saw fully 37.5 months in wood, some 25% new, but its influence is imperceptible; the wine is strikingly pure and vibrant. Krankl commented that the longer the wines spend in barrel, the more... Read More
The 2014 Grenache Testa dei Cherubini saw fully 37.5 months in wood, some 25% new, but its influence is imperceptible; the wine is strikingly pure and vibrant. Krankl commented that the longer the wines spend in barrel, the more... Read More
The 2014 La Muse (2,800 cases ) is a legendary effort. The wine offers an opaque purple color and a gorgeous nose of lead pencil shavings, blackberry, incense, Asian spice, cocoa, plum, and a touch of chocolate and barrique. On... Read More
The 2014 Le Désir (53% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec) has an inky purple color and a sweet kiss of chocolate, black truffle, forest floor, black raspberry and black currants. Opulent, but again... Read More
The Château Yquem 2014 was picked over 9 weeks this year, with one-quarter of the grapes picked prior to 15 September. It delivers 134 grams per liter residual sugar and 7.3 grams per liter tartaric acid, with a pH 3.60. It has... Read More
The Château Yquem 2014 was picked over 9 weeks this year, with one-quarter of the grapes picked prior to 15 September. It delivers 134 grams per liter residual sugar and 7.3 grams per liter tartaric acid, with a pH 3.60. It has... Read More