| Score: |
95+ WA.
"This is the first release of this wine, sourced from Coombsville and Spring Mountain AVAs. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose of the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is incredibly lifted and perfumed with notes of violets and roses over a core of crushed red and black currants, blackberries and cigar box. The palate offers great depth with layers of vibrant black and red berry flavors and wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins to support, finishing long and lively. While very tempting to drink now, I recommend readers forget it for 3-4 years and then drink for the next 25+. 600 cases were made. Around 60-65% of the grapes used for DuMOL are estate grown with vineyards on Sonoma Coast and at Flax Estate in Russian River Valley, equating to around 18,000 cases total production. Andy Smith has been the viticulturalist and winemaker at DuMOL for 19 years, although he has had considerable experience elsewhere, having worked spates at Dry River in New Zealand and Littorai on the Sonoma Coast. His crafting of the Chardonnays and Pinots at DuMOL has edged notably towards a more elegant and refined style over the years. Until 2013, he was also making Cabernet-based wines at Larkmead in Napa Valley. Not wanting to let go of all that experience and the challenge of making great Cabernet Sauvignon, this year DuMOL will for the first time release a new Napa Valley wine: a 2014 blend of two cooler AVAs, Spring Mountain and Coombsville. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a blend specifically of these two sub-regions, but as readers will see from my tasting note, it works." Wine Advocate #229, Feb 2017 |