2014 Lokoya, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt. Veeder, Bottle (750ml)

JD100 "The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is beautifully complete, with a layered, multi-dimensional, elegant profile that's more structured than the Diamond Mountain, yet more seamless and approachable than the Howell Mountain. Crème de cassis, Asian spice, smoked earth, incense and sandalwood note all flow to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that has no hard edges, ultra-fine tannin, incredibly purity of fruit and a great finish. As with all these 2014s, it's not about huge richness and opulence and more about purity, nuance and balance. It's a damn near perfect wine that will only get better with 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for three to four decades. Made by winemaker Chris Carpenter and focusing all on Mountain terroirs, I find the wines from Lokoya to be some of the most compelling, singular, and awesome wines made in the Valley. Unfortunately, the prices are ridiculous and beyond the means of most, myself included." JD Dec 2017

RP99 "Usually my favorite in many vintages, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder is the most backward of the 2014s and actually seems to require 4-5 years of bottle age. The wine has the telltale signs of Mt. Veeder – blackberry and blueberry fruit infused with considerable floral nuances. This wine has all that, then hits the palate with a cascade of glycerin, fruit extraction, and layers of blackberry and blueberry fruit. It is full-bodied and opulent, but finishes with some structure and ripe tannin. This is a magnificent wine – full-throttle, extremely pure, and incredibly well-balanced. Give it 5-6 years of bottle age and drink it over the following three decades." RP Oct 2016

"One of the top-of-the-charts, special, rare superstars of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine scene is Lokoya. It’s hard to believe that 2000 was the first vintage for winemaker Chris Carpenter working at Lokoya. He has had a succession of world-class, truly magnificent wines from different mountain sites in Napa. There are four cuvées from Lokoya in 2014, representing four separate mountain sites – Diamond Mountain in the northwest, Spring Mountain behind the town of St. Helena, Howell Mountain on the eastside in the Vaca Mountains, and Mt. Veeder southwest of Oakville. They’re expensive, but generally in line with what you would expect to pay for a great first-growth from Bordeaux, which is where they compete qualitatively. These wines are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and are aged in 89 to 100% new French oak prior to being bottled unfiltered. The 2014s have put on weight and that’s reflected in just how great they have turned out. In addition, their silky tannins and soft, sumptuous, up-front style will be immediately appealing to serious consumers." Robert Parker Published: Oct 28, 2016