2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

Sinegal is one of the most exciting new projects in Napa Valley. The bottled 2014s are all outstanding. If I have one criticism of those wines it is that the oak signatures are overpowering. Interestingly, the 2015s, from a very hot vintage, capture all the intensity that is typical of this site in the south of St. Helena, but with a good bit of freshness as well. The 2015s are the first vintage made with the new tanks the winemaking team brought in. They also seem to have a bit more precision than the early vintages. Sinegal is going to be a fascinating estate to follow.

The old and the new come together at Sinegal Estate. David Sinegal purchased the former Wolf Vineyard and set out to get the most out of this historic property. Tony Biagi, formerly of Plumpjack, and currently the winemaker at Hourglass was brought on to make the wines. Biagi arrived in May 2013, so his first wines were a sort of trial by fire. Things get much more serious in 2014, as quality looks to have improved in a meaningful way. With an additional year under his belt, Biagi has turned out a set of glorious wines. The cooler vintage yielded Cabernets with more freshness and lower alcohols than 2013. The resulting wines are chiseled and sculpted, yet also possess superb energy throughout. Sinegal is located in a warm sector within St. Helena. Achieving richness and ripeness is never an issue here, but making complete wines of real pedigree is much more elusive. The 2014s certainly appear to be a step in that direction.