2014 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Magnum (1.5 L) Magnum

Some of the top wines in Napa Valley wear their prestige on their sleeve. But some of the greatest bottles we’ve ever experienced play things a little closer to the vest.

The 2014 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is in the latter category. It’s NOT a late-picked showboat designed to win a 100-point score. It’s not from a winery whose name is plastered all over magazines. But if you’ve ever gotten goosebumps from a graceful bottle of Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon or a great vintage of Dalla Valle Maya—if you’ve ever swooned at the softness and intensity of a great Château Margaux or savored the gravelly power of Château Palmer—well, you’ll see that in this bottle.

The Gallica Oakville Cabernet is the passion project of Rosemary Cakebread, one of Napa’s most accomplished crafters of Cabernet Sauvignon. She’s one of the reasons Spottswoode Winery—where she made wine for over a decade—enjoys such a stellar reputation. With over 40 harvests under her belt, she enjoys just as much esteem in the Valley.

Grown on the iconic Oakville Ranch high in the eastern part of the AVA, this bottle shows what one of Napa’s most experienced winemakers can achieve with fruit from a legendary vineyard and a stunner of a Napa Valley vintage. Antonio Galloni of Vinous called it “deep, dense and powerful,” while Robert Parker called it “Napa Cabernet at its quintessentially most elegant.” It’s an Oakville Grand Cru, pure and simple, and it will deliver perfect enjoyment over the next decade.