Merlot wine bottle from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, 2014 vintage.

2014 La Jota Merlot Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Howell MountainKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

La Jota

Merlot 2014
Howell Mountain

Merlot wine bottle from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, 2014 vintage.

The 2014 La Jota Howell Mountain Merlot arrives with an authority that immediately distinguishes it. Born at high elevation, it forgoes plushness in favor of precision and generosity in favor of structure, delivering a wine that is both powerful and exacting. This is Merlot with genuine mountain backbone, shaped by volcanic soils, cool nights, and a long growing season that prizes depth, tension, and longevity.

La Jota’s roots run deep on this mountain. Founded in 1898 by Frederick Hess, the estate has endured cycles of abandonment and renewal, yet its commitment to Howell Mountain has never wavered. Today, under the direction of Chris Carpenter, that legacy is honed with precision. His approach is measured and site-driven, allowing the character of these historic vineyards to emerge fully.

At twelve years of age, the 2014 demonstrates precisely why Howell Mountain wines command such respect for their longevity. The structure remains firm, but the edges have softened, revealing a more expressive, layered profile. A natural freshness keeps the wine vibrant and lifted. It is a compelling reminder that wines from this elevation are built not merely to endure, but to evolve.

La Jota
Merlot 2014
Howell Mountain
Retails at: $100

Your Price: $85

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“Blended with 10% Petit Verdot, this age-worthy beauty is impressively oaked and tannic in its youth, with a concentration of densely packed red and black currants. Coconut shavings and vanilla appear from the background alongside black pepper and cinnamon. This should drink best from 2024–2034.”

94 Points, Cellar Selection

2014 Chateau Gazin Pomerol Bordeaux France

260115 2014 Chateau Gazin Pomerol Bordeaux France

with No Comment $100 and overBordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

Château Gazin

Pomerol 2014
Bordeaux, France

2014 Chateau Gazin Pomerol Bordeaux France

Greatness in Pomerol is often measured in meters, not miles. Château Gazin stands beside Pétrus on the revered Pomerol plateau, occupying one of the appellation’s most privileged positions. Its vineyard stretches across a rare, single contiguous parcel on the high terrace, a setting long associated with Pomerol’s most profound expressions of Merlot.

Beneath the vines lies a complex mosaic of blue and green clays layered with gravel and iron-rich deposits, a terroir synonymous with Pomerol’s most age-worthy wines. These soils provide both structure and natural balance, regulating water supply and sustaining the vines through variable seasons. In 2014, this advantage proved decisive, allowing the fruit to ripen with freshness, clarity, and poise.

Now with a decade in bottle, the 2014 Château Gazin is entering a particularly expressive phase. The wine shows depth without heaviness, its structure softened into a supple, seamless frame while retaining the freshness that defines great Pomerol. It is generous yet composed, offering immediate pleasure alongside the promise of continued evolution.

Château Gazin
Pomerol 2014
Bordeaux, France

Your Price: $119.99

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“The soy-sauce and savory aromas really make this stand out, but behind it are some very nice fruit and elegant tannins. This is a very well-made modern Pomerol with a lot of potential that needs some time to reveal its full class. Give it five or six years of bottle age.”

95 Points

2014 The Owl & The Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley

2014 The Owl & The Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonDry Creek ValleyKevin VogtSonomaUSA

THE OWL & THE OAK

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2014 DRY CREEK VALLEY 

2014 The Owl & The Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley
Michelle Mercer and her husband Bruce Golden spent 15 years living abroad, giving them priceless opportunities to visit some of the best vineyards in the world. Upon returning to the US, they searched to find the perfect location for growing premium Cabernet Sauvignon in an old-world style with subtle beauty and grace, like a new blossom slowly opening its petals and revealing its inner depth of character.
 
A small plot of 9 acres in Dry Creek Valley proved to be the best location because of the cooler microclimate than neighboring vineyards, allowing the grapes to mature at a slower rate, increasing hang time for deep flavor development while retaining the grape’s natural acidity. The 2014 vintage of The Owl & The Oak is captivating in its vast range of flavors and immaculate structure that coats the palate and continues into an ethereal finish.
 
THE OWL & THE OAK
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2014 DRY CREEK VALLEY
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The Oak & The Owl Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of violets, sage, crushed blueberries, wet stones, white truffles, and cocoa powder. The palate is seductive with its velvety tannins and bright acidity, allowing sultry, savory flavors to coat the mouth with a persistent finish. This wine is an old-world wine lover’s dream in the new world with its depth of fresh aromas and flavors, pure from start to finish without being flashy or flabby, and suitable for aging up to 15 years or more.”
95 Points
2014 Bernardus Marinus Carmel Valley

2014 Bernardus Marinus Carmel Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtMontereyProprietary RedUSA

BERNARDUS

2014 MARINUS
CARMEL VALLEY

2014 Bernardus Marinus Carmel Valley
Designed for flattering your senses while simultaneously stimulating thoughts of Bordeaux and the serene Carmel Valley, Marinus is Bernardus’s proprietor’s instrument to achieve their goal of producing a red wine that can equal Bordeaux’s most refined. Maestro of sustainable farming, Mark Shea farms each block of Marinus separately, without compromise, in his pursuit of showcasing the vineyard’s most significant potential. The 2014 vintage is, as Vinous writes, “Highly Expressive,” and with a discount of $26 per bottle, a single case may not be enough. 
 
French-trained winemaker Dean DeKorth spent years at Olivier Leflaive, Comte Lafon, and Pierre Morey before coming home to Monterey and making wine at Morgan, David Bruce, and Talbott. He creates Marinus using Bordeaux varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, blending them with the impetus to be the best expression of the vineyard’s remarkable terroir. 
 
Dean employs traditional Bordeaux winemaking techniques like; fermenting in small individual fermenters, gentle pressing and handling of the fruit, long fermentation with regular punch-downs, and aging in French oak barrels. The resulting wine is very complex, well-balanced, a joy to drink, with a Bordeaux-like style.
 
BERNARDUS
2014 MARINUS
CARMEL VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $49
 
 
“Opaque ruby. Highly expressive aromas of ripe cherry, red and black currant, candied flowers and pipe tobacco, along with vanilla and oak spice nuances. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering concentrated cassis, cherry-vanilla and licorice flavors that show no rough edges. Closes very long and spicy, with a hint of smokiness and rounded, even tannins that add gentle grip.”
93 Points
 
“Candied lilac and boysenberry-juice aromas make for a very fresh, floral and fruity entry to the nose of this blend of all five Bordeaux red varieties. The purple-flower flavors show on the sip too, mixed with açai, and the structure is still tightly woven six years into aging.”
92 Points, Editors’ Choice
2014 Morlet Cabernet Sauvignon Les Petits Morlet

2014 Morlet Cabernet Sauvignon Les Petits Morlet

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

MORLET

2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
LES PETITS MORLET 

2014 Morlet Cabernet Sauvignon Les Petits Morlet
Luc Morlet has extensive winemaking experience in France. With that knowledge, he can manipulate old-world principles and techniques and perfectly adapt them to California wines, which sets him apart from the pack. The resulting wines harmoniously balance intensity, richness, and complexity in their youth and have the capacity to cellar gracefully for many years. His 2014 Le Petits Cabernet beautifully displays his remarkable ability. With seven years of age, this wine is enchantingly hedonistic and enjoyable now or over the next decade or more in the future.
 
The Morlet Les Petits Cabernet is a Cuvée style blend constructed from younger vines grown on many iconic properties where Luc sources fruit. Like numerous outstanding 2014 Cabernets, this wine is compelling and highly aromatic. 
 
Luc grew up on his family’s vineyard in France, and he gained extensive experience making wine in Burgundy and Bordeaux before replacing John Kongsgaard as winemaker at Newton Cellars in 1996. In 2001 Luc joined Peter Michael Winery, continuing the legacy of Helen Turley and Mark Aubert, crafting Peter Michael from 2001 through 2005.
 
MORLET
2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
LES PETITS MORLET
 
Your Price: $95
 
 
“The entry-level Bordeaux cuvée is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Petits Morlet, which is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot in 2014. This cuvée gets younger vine fruit as well as the fruit that didn’t make the cut for the upper cuvées, so the blend changes every year. The 2014 is a beautiful wine in its own right and worth your time and money. Crème de cassis, chocolate, and violet notes all flow to a full-bodied, deep, impressively concentrated effort that shows both the house elegance and purity, and the charming nature of the 2014 vintage.” 
93 Points
2014 Immortal Estate Slope Cabernet Sauvignon

2014 Immortal Estate Slope Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

IMMORTAL ESTATE

2014 SLOPE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2014 Immortal Estate Slope Cabernet Sauvignon
On the West side of Spring Mountain, Immortal Estate is planted on a staggering 55-degree slope, making it one of the steepest hillside-vineyards in California. Initially named Hidden Ridge, the property produced 100 point wines under Tim Milos’ guidance. Tim gained invaluable experience while crafting stellar vintages of Opus One, Stag’s Leap, and Cliff Lede, and he’s the winemaker at Immortal Estate.
 
Vines grown on steep slopes can experience better air-flow, water drainage, and more sunlight, which combine to produce fully-developed and complexly flavored grapes. Immortal Estate is a perfect example and has more than 20 separate blocks with an elevation range of 1200-1700 feet, near Pride Mountain Vineyards. 
 
Tim selected harvest dates for each block based on taste, and the team meticulously sorted the grapes at the winery. They fermented the juice on the grape skins for up to 50 days, extracting depth, structure, and deep color. They then aged the wine for 28 months in French oak, and now with several years in the bottle, it’s rocking.
 
IMMORTAL ESTATE
2014 SLOPE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $75
 
 
“…the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Slope from the Hidden Ridge vineyard does not suffer in comparison with the extraordinary efforts of 2013. Still a barrel sample, its riveting richness, concentration, texture and density represent another legend in the making. Crème de cassis, licorice, blackberry, earthiness and spice are all present in this magnificent example of Cabernet Sauvignon that should age beautifully for 25-30+ years.”
95-97+ Points
 
“The Slope represents the many aspects, elevations and exposures of this remarkable hillside vineyard. Individual lots from across the property were selected and blended to produce this august cuvée. The wine is dense, ripe and powerful, an effusive vortex of blackberry, toast, brown sugar, allspice, cassis, dark chocolate, earl grey tea, mint, anise, sugar cookie, chai, and tarragon. The palate is massive, but the fruit is sweet, supple and creamy. It is an experience that will bring you to our mountain, for there is no other place like it.”
2014 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon Windsor Oaks Vineyard

2014 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon Windsor Oaks Vineyard Chalk Hill

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonChalk HillKevin VogtNapaUSA

WILLIAM KNUTTEL

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
WINDSOR OAKS VINEYARD 
CHALK HILL 2014

2014 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon Windsor Oaks Vineyard
William Knuttel produces wines with intensity and finesse, which he achieves through meticulous fruit selection and skilled winemaking. As the former VP and winemaker at Chalk Hill, he has relationships with some of Sonoma County’s most heralded growers. As a veteran winemaker, he allows each featured site to shine brightly under his namesake label. At just $40, his 2014 Windsor Oaks Vineyard Cabernet is deep, firm, and well-defined, showing off his learned skills as a top winemaker.
 
Knuttle’s 2014 Windsor Oak Vineyard Cabernet is sourced from a single block of vines overlooking the Russian River Valley to the West and the Alexander Valley and the Mayacamas Mountains to the East. He’s scrupulous in his selection of only the ripest and most flavorful berries for his single-vineyard bottling, and he vinifies them separately. 
 
The hillside vineyard is quintessentially Chalk Hill and planted over well-drained, gravelly, clay-loam soils with open exposure to brisk Russian River Valley breezes that allow the Cabernet to maintain balanced acidity and fine structure. He produced just 8 barrels of this wine, and after more than 4 years in the bottle, the wine is stunning.
 
WILLIAM KNUTTEL
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
WINDSOR OAKS VINEYARD 
CHALK HILL 2014
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, and spiced tea rise unabated from this inky black wine. A well-integrated backbone of velvety tannins and toasty oak highlights cherry and cassis flavors, leading to concentrated fruit in a seamless and assertive finish. Alcohol 14.8%”
2014 Shottesbrooke Punch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale

2014 Shottesbrooke Punch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale

with No Comment $30 and underAustraliaCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMcLaren Vale

SHOTTESBROOKE

2014 PUNCH RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MCLAREN VALE

2014 Shottesbrooke Punch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale
Shottesbrooke is a pillar of our Australian section at the shop, and they’re absolutely a producer to watch. The winery was just named “Australia’s Best Producer” at the 27th Mundus Vini Grand International Wine Completion, and their 2018 Punch Reserve Cabernet took “Best of Show” in the Australian Red category. At around $30, their 2014 Punch Reserve Cab is sensational and offers deep power and concentration, firm tannins, fresh acidity, and remarkable detail. 
 
The winery fashioned the Punch Reserve Cabernet from a vineyard planted in the late ’60s to the low-yielding Reynell Clone, which is known for producing powerful and robust Cabernet Sauvignon fruit.
 
They named this wine Punch after a Clydesdale horse that worked on the property, acknowledging the contribution of the early pioneers of viticulture in McLaren Vale. Shottesbrooke only produces this wine in years of outstanding quality, so timing is of the essence in securing yours. 
 
SHOTTESBROOKE
2014 PUNCH RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MCLAREN VALE
Retails at: $40
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Distinct development in the colour, but not alarming. A very savoury wine, with earth and dried herbs closely accompanying blackcurrant fruit. An unexpected waft of freshness comes on the intake of breath after the previous taste”
93 Points
 
“Rich purple hues mellow into a deep red; The nose exhibits small berry fruit aromas of black cherries, blueberries and black currants, along with a hint of mint and pepper; The first impression of the palate is of richness and depth. Further exploration shows layers of toasty oak and some dark chocolate flavours, along with pleasant mint and blackcurrant. The wine is mouth filling with great length.”

2014 Korbin Kameron Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMoon MountainMt VeederNapaUSA

KORBIN KAMERON 

2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

When scrutinizing the final contenders for our top 5 list this year, we re-tasted Korbin Kameron’s 2014 Estate Cabernet side-by-side a $135 bottle of Napa Cab was clear that Korbin deserved a top spot on our list. They produce their Estate Cabernet in a powerfully compelling style that’s resonated deeply with fans of concentrated, inky Mountain wines. The wines are made by Tim Milos, who crafted stellar vintages of Opus One, Stag’s Leap, and Cliff Lede. At just $40, this is one of the best wine bottles in the shop, period. 
 
The Cabernet includes the iconic clones 337 and 7, which thrive in the well-drained gravelly loam soils. The area’s ample daytime sunshine and cooling maritime influence at night are perfect for ripening Bordeaux varietals to the peak of perfection.
 
Korbin Kameron’s vineyard is perched on a ridge near the top of Mt Veeder and straddles the Mayacamas Mountain Range at 2,300 feet elevation. Phil Coturri farms the vineyard organically, biodynamically, and sustainably, resulting in a pure and natural expression of fruit. 
 
KORBIN KAMERON 
2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Retails at: $60
 
 
“The Korbin Kameron Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 begins with a deep, concentrated nose composed of tart red fruits, combined with blue and black fruits, violets and hints of spice. The color is a dark purple that perfectly frames the focused, concentrated palate, showcasing pomegranate, crushed blackberries, dried cherries, and red currants. This is a flashy wine with supple tannins that lead to a very long, intense finish. KorbinKameron 2014 is a wine that’s beautiful now, but will age for 12 years or more.”
95 Points
2014 The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2014 The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

THE MASCOT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2014 NAPA VALLEY

2014 The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
If you’re looking for a Cabernet Sauvignon that mirrors qualities you’d expect from Napa Valley’s most upper echelon wines, made with the same meticulous farming and skilled winemaking methods, Will Harlan’s The Mascot should top your list… The pedigree of the grapes, combined with high-profile winemaking, makes it a hedonistic pleasure to enjoy.
 
The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon arose from distinct hillside vineyards; specifically from the comparatively younger vines of BOND, Harlan Estate, and Promontory. Drawing fruit from blocks of more recently replanted vineyards, The Mascot has such deep and expansive flavors and is so compelling, it’ll make you question how you got a wine of this regal quality for this price…
 
While the winery doesn’t specify exact grape varietal percentages in each vintage, The Mascot has historically been 90% or more Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. 
 
THE MASCOT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2014 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $140
 
“…Red fruit and baking spice intermingle on the nose, while on entry, the wine is soft, gently accelerating as it reveals athletic structure and shape, culminating in transparency and poise.”