2014 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

AG95A weightless, translucent wine, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon exudes class. Vibrant and finely sculpted, the 2014 possesses striking nuance from start to finish. Scents of lavender, rose petal, mint and sweet spice notes give the 2014 its brightness and sense of energy. Today, the 2014 is a bit compact relative to how it showed from barrel. I expect the wine will put on a bit more weight during its aging. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2014 at least a few years. Even today, though, the 2014 is a very pretty and pure wine.

WA93+ The softer, more sexy and up-front style of the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon makes it already drinking and appealing. Deep ruby/purple, with notes of black and red currants, cedar, licorice and forest, the wine has terrific fruit, medium to full body, ripe, well-integrated tannins and adequate acidity. Drink it over the next 15 or so years.

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Vertdot, 7%Merlot

Rick Forman is one of the veteran wine producers in all of Northern California, with experience going back to the beginning of the 1970s, which means he is coming up on nearly 50 years of making wine!

There are few winemakers in Napa Valley who can match Ric Forman’s enviable track record. My only regret is that Forman makes only one Chardonnay and one Cabernet Sauvignon, as my tastings at the estate tend to be short. At their best, these are some of the most compelling wines being made in the US today. Forman blocks the malo on his Chardonnay, a style he made famous decades ago, which results in unusually steely, vibrant wines by California standards. Forman’s Cabernets are the stuff of legends and are capable of aging 30-40 years. Quite remarkably, these wines remain exceptionally well priced considering their quality.