Louis M Martini Alexander Valley 2014

Description

Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 Rating: 97 ——————————————————————————————————– Price ($) $45 Rating: 97 Drink Date 2016 – 2036 Rating: 97 Reviewed by Robert M. Parker, Jr. Issue Date 28th Oct 2016 Rating: 97 Source 227, The Wine Advocate Rating: 97 The bigger, richer 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Sirah aged 16 months in 50% new French and American casks. This is a bigger wine and close to 2% higher in alcohol at 15.5%. There are 11,000 cases of this big, full-bodied, boisterous Cabernet Sauvignon that has a dense ruby/purple color, notes of underbrush, forest floor, tobacco leaf and oodles of blackcurrants and black cherries, with a touch of woodsmoke. The full-bodied wine hits the palate with a cascade of glycerin, fruit and purity. This is a beauty – dense, rich, and structured, but capable of lasting 20 or more years. It is hard to believe that the iconic Louis M. Martini Winery first made Napa Cabernet Sauvignon in 1933. Louis Martini is long gone, but he played a significant role in establishing Napa and Sonoma valleys as premium grape-growing regions. His family has carried on and more recently benefitted from the influx of significant investment from the new owners – the Gallos. Lot 1 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Vertical Tasting 2003-2014: Included is a rare look at one of the top Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley usually sourced from multiple growers in different AVAs. Production varies from a low of about 400 cases to a high of 1,000. The wine is generally aged 22 or more months in all French oak with various percentages of new oak, but usually at least three-fourths of it new. Starting with the oldest vintage, I will proceed through the years until finishing with a barrel sample of 2014.

Product Description

The dark violet hue of our Louis M. Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is indicative of its decadent blackberry, cassis and black cherry aromas and flavors. Earthy notes of truffle, smoky cedar and dried herbs unfold around this wine’s assertive tannins that will soften with age. Rich, expansive and well-structured with a long, lingering finish, this wine has aging potential of a decade or more. A phenomenal vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon, fruit from 2013 showed excellent intensity, translating into fully ripe and well-structured dark fruit flavors in the wines.

Wine Advocate

The bigger, richer 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Sirah aged 16 months in 50% new French and American casks. This is a bigger wine and close to 2% higher in alcohol at 15.5%. There are 11,000 cases of this big, full-bodied, boisterous Cabernet Sauvignon that has a dense ruby/purple color, notes of underbrush, forest floor, tobacco leaf and oodles of blackcurrants and black cherries, with a touch of woodsmoke. The full-bodied wine hits the palate with a cascade of glycerin, fruit and purity. This is a beauty – dense, rich, and structured, but capable of lasting 20 or more years.

Score: 97, Robert Parker, October 2016