Cabernet Sauvignon, Spottswoode Estate 2014

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon has a drop-dead gorgeous nose of Sichuan pepper, hoisin, peppered salami and fertile loam over a core of blackberry preserves and redcurrant jelly with touches of kirsch and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated yet still maintaining that wonderful purity and elegance that is the signature of this estate, it has layer upon layer of earthy nuances and a very long finish.

Under winemaker Aron Weinkauf, Spottswoode is producing more classical wines than ever, and the 2014 is one of the most tensile, tight-knit benchland Cabernets of the vintage. A classy bouquet of crushed cassis, damson, graphite and spice, subtly framed by new oak, is followed by a taut, firm palate with a serious chassis of fine but abundant tannins, and a lovely line of acidity that lends this Cabernet amazing length. Great concentration and incipient complexity; this just needs time. 2024-2060.

This first-growth estate in St. Helena has produced a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon that is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. It is certainly one of the wines of the vintage. Gorgeously opaque purple, it offers up notes of spring flowers, blueberries, blackcurrants, some baking spice and graphite. It is full-bodied, concentrated and rich, with layers of fruit. The wine builds and builds on the palate, with a great finish of 45+ seconds. This is a sensational 2014 to drink over the next 20+ years.

Amazing burnt-orange and currant aromas with tar and lead pencil. Blackberries, too. Changes all the time. Mesmerizing. Full-bodied and powerful with super-polished tannins and a long and intense finish. The polished and fine tannins coat your mouth. Glorious. Needs three to four years to soften.

6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. 20 months in French oak, 60% new. Tasted blind. Rich and sweet on the nose. Very opulent and flattering with a certain amount of lift. Very glorious. Satisfying already and very long. Is this a Margaret River superstar? Or is it too concentrated for that? California again? Perhaps very slightly hot on the end. Not the noblest but pretty good! Admirable freshness makes me hesitate between California and Margaret River.

A favourite Napa estate of mine, one that is always a pleasure to taste, and it is exceptional in the 2014 vintage. Inky plum on colour, with savoury blackberry, pencil lead, and cigar box spice on the attack, with still firm but supple tannins. As it opens, sweeter black cherry, kirsch, earth, espresso, cocoa powder and tobacco leaf notes become clearer. Tasted with Alexandre Schmitt, the perfumer-turned-wine-consultant, and I love the extra dimensions that he brings to discussing the evolution of wine in a glass.