Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | U.S.A. > California > Napa Valley |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Forest-floor, terracotta and blackberry aromas are intense and enticing here. Full body, ultra-fine tannis and a powerful yet polished finish. Very long and intense. Lasts for minutes. Superb quality. Barrel sample.
Emerging from an 11-acre vineyard just north of the Oakville tenderloin sector of Napa Valley is the St. Eden, which is treated identically to the other wines. Like the other sites, Bill Harlan has a 25-year lease on this single vineyard, which is planted on fractured, iron-rich, volcanic rock, as opposed to the white tufa volcanic ash of the Quella Vineyard. The 2014 St. Eden is a dead ringer for a Pauillac such as Lynch Bages or Pichon-Longueville Baron. Loads of cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake, blackcurrants, licorice and underbrush all jump from the glass of this deep, rich, concentrated and complex wine that is already showing secondary nuances and silky tannins. It can be drunk now or cellared for up to another 25-30+ years.
The Oakville release (yet it’s from a steep hillside vineyard), the 2014 St. Eden has lots of graphite and dusty earth character as well as classic dark fruits, white chocolate, and toasty oak notes. It’s a big, full-bodied, elegant, multi-dimensional beauty that has everything going for it. It’s up with the crème de la crème of the vintage.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 St. Eden offers up expressive crème de cassis, black cherry compote and blueberry pie notes with hints of cedar chest, baking spices, menthol and pencil lead. Full-bodied, tightly packed, taut and muscular, it has a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and lovely vivacity coming through on the long, earthy finish.