Louis M. Martini Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Napa Valley, North Coast, California

The 2014 Lot 1 Cabernet Sauvignon has impressive depth, power and complexity—perennial hallmarks of Lot 1—starting with the intense aromas of blackberry jam, boysenberry and crème brulee. The palate has striking power and range and is filled with flavors that include blackberry, cherry, black currant and caramel in a plush mouthfeel. The exceptionally long, polished finish evolves with layers of fruit and toasted oak. The fine tannins and outstanding balance of power and elegance will allow this wine to age for decades.

The 2014 season was excellent—dry and warm, with early bud break, steady temperatures and long hangtime. Consistently mellow temperatures through spring and summer let the grapes ripen fully and evenly, then an unusually long harvest gave them concentrated, well-structured fruit with exceptional quality and depth. They selected the grapes for this vintage from some of the best sites in the Napa Valley, including our Stagecoach Vineyard and vineyards on the Silverado Bench.

The grapes for our 2014 Lot 1 Cabernet Sauvignon were hand-harvested in half-ton picking bins and hand-sorted before destemming and partial crushing. Then the grapes were fed into small lot, open top fermenters for a 3-day cold soak before primary fermentation. A percentage was fermented with a submerged cap for a deeper, more intense extraction, creating long, distinctive tannins. The wine remained on skins for more than two weeks then was gravity fed and gently pressed in our basket press. Next, the wine was gravity fed into French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. They kept barrel lots separate through the spring, then in June assembled the blend to allow flavors to integrate and sent the wine back to barrel to age another year. Barrel aging was entirely in French oak, 97% new, for a total of 24 months