2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

I tasted a large number of wines during my most recent visit to this benchmark estate on Spring Mountain. Philip Togni boasts one of the longest track records of excellence in Napa Valley. Today, Togni's daughter, Lisa, runs the show. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon has turned out beautifully, while the three library releases I tasted were a poignant reminder of just how regal these wines become with age.

Expectations were sky high when I arrived at Philip Togni's tiny winery on Spring Mountain a few weeks ago. The 2014s I tasted from barrel last spring were incredibly vivid, while the core blend of the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon was among the finest wines of that trip. Six months later, the pre-blend of 2014 is fabulous and the bottled 2013 reds are off the charts. In fact, the 2013s are the best young wines I have ever seen here. I also tasted two library re-releases, which, while terrific, also show just how much more finesse the wines are today. That much is clear. Congratulations to Philip, Birgitta and Lisa Togni for a truly stellar set of wines. No one is more deserving of this success than Philip Togni, who has made some of the all-time great Napa Valley Cabernets going back to the late 1960s. His daughter Lisa appears to be poised to do the same as she takes over the family estate from her parents.