The deep garnet-purple colored 2014 Proprietary Red Wine offers up subtle cassis, black cherries and crushed blackberries notes with tons of savory and earthy layers: forest floor, black soil, charcoal and dried herbs, plus wafts of violets and rare beef. Full-bodied and built like a brick house in the mouth, it has loads of tense, muscular fruit with many layers of earth, savory and spice nuances emerging, finishing with epic length. (LPB)

The 2014 Harlan Estate is a gorgeous wine that portends the more linear, vibrant style that has become the norm here in recent years. Red cherry, plum, mocha, graphite, lavender and rose petal unfurl in the glass. There's a bit of oak tannin that's not really an issue, but it does stand out next to the overall feel of the most recent vintages that preceded it in this tasting. The 2014 Harlan Estate is a gorgeous, alluring wine that will delight readers lucky enough to own it. Superb. (AG)

This is a fully formed and fully modern expression of Oakville, brimming with unadulterated cassis, plum reduction and blackberry confiture flavors that are still quite youthful, while a beautiful mix of black licorice, alder smoke, chestnut, sweet bay and black tea notes creeps in slowly. There's a beautiful polish on the finish, where the fruit continues to hold court -- so much so that you might almost miss the cast iron echo that lingers at the very end. -- Blind 2014 California Cabernet retrospective (June 2024). Drink now through 2042. (Jm)