94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravel Series Secret Garden has turned out beautifully. Bright, fresh and perfumed, the Secret Garden captures all the best qualities of the vintage in spades.”
Tasting Notes
The most feminine of the three Gravel Series Cabernet Sauvignons, this wine is floral, sultry, and nuanced. The bouquet highlights dried violet and lavender, complemented by notes of sweet red berry and a subtle hint of oak. Layered and concentrated, the palate has beautiful balance with fresh, ripe raspberry on entry. Deeper tones of dried cherry and plum follow, adding complexity to this wine’s luscious texture. Round tannins leave the taster with lingering notes of spice, dark chocolate, and black fruit. Simply elegant, this stunning wine showcases its Oakville terroir and is drinking beautifully now with the potential to age another 5-10 years.
Technical Information
Winemaker: Thomas Rivers Brown
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Source: M-bar, the Oakville Bench estate property
Aging: 24 months in 98% new French oak
Production: 8 barrels
Vintage Notes
A key word for the 2014 vintage was early; early bud break, early veraison and early harvest. Very warm conditions during spring and several well-timed rain showers, brought about an early bud break. The result was very healthy vines leading into flowering and fruit set. The continued warm and dry weather throughout the summer and fall months led to the perfect amount of vine stress, allowing the fruit to profit from longer hang-time and to develop more concentrated flavors.
Vineyard Notes | M-Bar Ranch Vineyard, Oakville
Nestled between Harlan Estate and Dominus Estate, the soil of our Oakville site lies on a gravelly base overlaid with alluvial soils washed down from the Mayacamas mountain range. This site experiences more maritime influence, with the fog layer lingering later in the morning and arriving earlier in the evening, leading to slightly cooler days and nights. These mild conditions produce wines with an elegant flavor profile and structure.
Hear from our Winemaker, Jeff Plant, and Estate Sommelier, Scott Tracy, as they highlight how the distinctive soils, microclimates, and geography of our M-Bar Ranch Vineyard in Oakville result in the creation of the Secret Garden Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gravel Series Membership
Gravel Series Membership offers access to the highly allocated, small-production Gravel Series Cabernet Sauvignons while they are still in barrel through an automatic, recurring futures reservation.
Futures allocations occur three times annually in Spring (Secret Garden), Summer (The Vow), and Fall (Scholars Gate). Wines ship upon release in October of the following year.
To explore this rare opportunity to become a Member of the Gravel Series Membership, please contact our Gravel Concierge. This exclusive membership is extremely limited.
gravelconcierge@roundpond.com | 707.302.2515