2014 Sullivan Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley 750 ml

Our relationship with Sullivan Vineyards goes back ten or so years. It doesn’t result in an allocation every vintage—production is tiny, and almost entirely devoured by their mailing list—but when we do get a call, it ends up being one of the best California Cabernet deals going.

To give you some idea of the scarcity, the last vintage of Sullivan Cabernet we got our hands on was the 2010—an offer that closed out almost immediately, and racked up 31 five-star and 54 four-star member reviews in the process. Most were right in line with Robert Parker’s assessment of the estate: “Sullivan’s wines are among the richest and most massively constituted in Napa.”

Now, six years after our last offer, the Rutherford estate has opened its cellar to us for a rare allocation of their tremendous effort from Napa Valley’s outstanding 2014 vintage. With Napa travel down, we were able to negotiate an unbelievable deal for our members who adore this wine: Incredibly, we have it at over 50% off SRP. 

The tension and focus of the standout 2014 vintage is multiplied in this release made entirely from estate grapes, opulent Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of aromatic Petit Verdot. Medium full-bodied but tightly packed and muscular, with bold notes of dusty earth, black currant, and mint on the nose, it’s stuffed with super-fine tannins throughout. With six years of age on it, this will drink beautifully for years to come.

James Suckling called it “full and chewy yet so polished and pretty,” while Jeb Dunnuck laid on heavy praise: “With medium to full-bodied richness, a lush, supple style, and sweet tannin, it has terrific balance and a great finish.” It’s been six years since we’ve had an allocation of one of Sullivan’s stellar Cabernets, and it may be that long before we see another, so claim yours quickly. 

Sullivan sits just off Highway 29. With Caymus just across the way, Staglin down the road, and Hall, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Cakebread all around, this is the Rutherford Bench at its best, home to some of the Napa Valley’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignons.

The winery was founded by James Sullivan, who purchased the 26 acres on the Rutherford valley floor in 1978, and helped establish the region as one of the brightest lights in Napa. He chose the vineyards in part on the advice of the legendary Russian viticulturist André Tchelistcheff, who was fond of saying: “It takes Rutherford dust to grow great Cabernet.”

In 2018, Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla acquired the historic property, and has raised its profile at the same time that he has pushed the naturally opulent grapes towards elegance and depth. The 2014, having spent 20 months in 100% new French oak, is unapologetically rich and lush, yet structured to age with equanimity. It’s a fantastic Napa Cabernet, and at $59, we don’t expect it to last long.