Acumen Red Wine Mountainside 2014

Tasting Notes

This full-bodied wine starts with fragrant aromas of black cherries, English roses, mocha, sweet earth, and fresh blackberry pie. On the palate, we find mouth-coating flavors of blueberries, Santa Rosa plums, and baking spices with a pleasant grip of ripe tannins coupled with notes of toffee, rhubarb compote, fresh sage and cigar box on the long and pleasant finish.

2014 Vintage Notes

Remembered locally in Napa Valley as “The Year of the Quake”, rains in late February and early March of 2014 gave vines a much-needed drink as they were emerging from dormancy and about to begin bud-break. A warm and gentle spring allowed for water conservation as no sprinklers were needed for frost protection during bud break. Smooth growing conditions allowed for ideal flower, fruit set, vine growth, and veraison, with harvest coming in about 2 weeks earlier than average. This produced nice crop loads and good, even ripeness coupled with excellent concentration and structure. We feel that 2014 represents one of the best vintages of the decade, even better than the highly-lauded 2013s.