Nose
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, from Staglin’s home Rutherford property, is bright and aromatically lifted, with a slightly redder expression of fruit and more floral overtones.
Palate
A wine with lovely inner sweetness, finesse and aromatics, the Estate peaks to polish above all else. Historically, this wine has developed very well in bottle. I expect that will be the case here as well.
Growing Conditions
2014 was another fantastic growing season. After one of the warmest and driest winters on record, as expected, budbreak was early, even earlier than 2013. Though offset by judiciously timed February rains, the continued drought conditions limited vigor in the vines, promoting balanced and compact growth along with generally smaller sized berries. Even with a “normally” timed harvest window, because of the early budbreak, we benefitted from an extended hangtime, which allowed for an even and complete maturity of the decently sizable crop.
Aging
20 Months 100% French, 87% new, 13% used
