2014 Round Pond Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley 750 ml

Galloni Falls Hard for 2014 Rutherford “Dust”

The 2014 Napa Valley vintage inspired a full-throated, unanimous chorus of praise from the critics. Robert Parker suggested in his vintage report “The Game Changer” that the 2012-2014 harvests were the most extraordinary back-to-back-to-back years in Napa Valley history, with 2014 making for the third consecutive extraordinary season. “A dream vintage,” raved Wine Spectator. Antonio Galloni called it “exceptional.”

Here’s why. A warm, dry winter and spring led to early bud break in the foothills around the Silverado Trail. Flowering went off without a hitch under perfect conditions. While the sun shined brightly during the summer months, temperatures remained mild, making for a large, uniform set of small-berry clusters.

Just as vines began to show the first signs of hydric stress in September, several well-timed showers doused the Cabernet Sauvignon. The call to harvest came early. Sugars were sky-high at harvest, the equivalent of 2012, while acids were firm and tannins nearly as sturdy as the fabulously age-worthy 2013s.

At Round Pond — deemed “one of the real undiscovered jewels of Napa Valley” by Galloni — winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, along with Muiris Griffin, a veteran of Opus One, Pape Clément, and Ridge Vineyards, crafted a masterpiece for the MacDonnell family. The site, 250 acres of Rutherford “dust” with deep clay-filled soils, has Caymus on one side and Andy Beckstoffer’s Georges III Vineyard (the core of BV’s famous Georges de Latour Reserve) on the other. From the get-go, no expense was spared on the Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon, from the rigor in the vines to Brown’s cellar protocol. In 2014, the investment paid massive dividends, shocking even the usually reserved Brown into a state of rapture.

The magnificent crop of small-berry Cabernet Sauvignon contained bunches so pristine in size and hygiene that the superstar winemaker nearly considered folding up the sorting table. Then Brown — the author of nine straight 100-point Cabernets — applied his cellar magic, making for the richest, most luscious Cabernet ever to come off this Rutherford Bench hotspot.

Galloni has never been shy with praise for Round Pond but 2014 took his appreciation to new heights. “A gorgeous example of both the property and the vintage,” declared the Vinous founder, who tacked on 92 points for this “superb quality for the money.” Galloni added the following coda: “This is an especially nuanced, mid-weight Rutherford Cabernet, not to mention a wine of total harmony and class.”

The 2014 Round Pond Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford is a powerhouse. Deep purple. The nose features almost liqueur-like ripeness, with aromas of blackberry, lavender, black cherry, and violet. Ultra-ripe and dense, plush and suave in texture, packed with a mix of fig, blackberry preserves, black coffee, pepper, and a splash of cassis, finishing with fresh, firm tannins, arguing for 10-20 years of cellar slumber.

$60 on release, knocked down to a sweet $49.99 at WineAccess. 92 points from Round Pond’s biggest fan, Antonio Galloni.  A Napa Valley vintage that left critics grasping for adjectives. A MUST-buy for any serious Cabernet collector. Shipping included on 4.