Reserve Claret

2014
Reserve Claret

Smoky raspberry, spice and vanilla bean over plum skin, black currant and strawberry puree. Dense and tightly wound with impeccable purity and presence. The palate is ripe fresh with compacted tannins restraining the dark fruit. This long and elegantly compressed with hints of red berries and kola nut carrying through the finish. Allow this wine to breathe in its youth or give it a few years for full enjoyment.

Vintages

Varietal(s)

68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc

Vinification

Fermented in 87% concrete and 13% stainless steel. Aged in 65% new and 35% used French oak for 22 months.

Alcohol

15.0%

Cases Produced

678

Vintage Notes

The Reserve Claret is blended form a small subset of our most select barrels (Cabernet, Merlot and Cab Franc only). It undergoes a slightly cooler, slightly longer fermentation to achieve more compression, more density, more complexity. It also spends a little more time in barrel—19-21 months—to achieve the profile we’re looking for.

Expert Reviews & Scores

  • Tim Fish, Wine Spectator

    91 / 100

    Balanced and precise in focus, with plum and sandalwood aromas and complex currant and spice flavors that build tannins toward a polished finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2023. 678 cases made.

    Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate

    93 / 100

    A step up over the straight Claret release, the 2014 Reserve Claret (68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc) has more finesse and elegance, with lots of blackcurrants, plum, licorice, toasted spice and graphite aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, fresh and elegant, with terrific purity and length, it's going to keep for 15+ years.

    Stephen Tanzer, Vinous

    93 / 100

    Bright ruby-red. Musky dark chocolate complements aromas of cassis and licorice. Like the Cabernet Sauvignon, this is densely packed but a bit youthfully compressed in the early going (Morell mentioned the rather cool maximum fermentation temperature of 80 degrees F.) But this tight, backward blend boasts terrific precision that presages a graceful evolution in bottle. And even today there's nothing hard about it.

  • James Sucklingjamessuckling.com

    92 / 100

    The black-olive and dark-berry character is impressive with an understated rust and tile character. Full body, firm tannins and a juicy finish.

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