2014 Pirouette
Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, used small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards to craft this enticing red blend.
The growing season started early in 2014 and the dry, warm conditions that characterized spring set the stage for another hot summer season. Temperatures were consistently warm throughout June and July, hastening an early start to harvest, but the Columbia Valley’s balmy fall days and cool autumn nights allowed the grapes to reach full physiological maturity while preserving the fruits’ natural acidity and yielding high quality grapes across the board. In short, 2014 was a picture-perfect vintage that produced remarkably rich, flavorful wines.
A variety of fermentation methods for the Cabernet Sauvignon included in this blend were used to enhance complexity and richness in the finished wine. Hand harvested Cabernet was fermented in 400L French oak barrels that were gently rolled throughout fermentation to bring complexity and integrated oak flavors to the wine. All other varieties were fermented in traditional stainless steel tanks, with select lots enjoying longer skin contact to enhance the wine’s dark color and mid-palate. Aged 22 months in French oak barrels (75% new) before bottling, unfiltered and unfined.
The 2014 Pirouette is a multi-layered wine with aromas and flavors of dark fruits and hints of sweet oak, licorice and cocoa that gain complexity across the palate. Richly textured, with refined tannins and a beautiful mouthfeel that provide a lengthy finish.
94+ POINTS - WINE ADVOCATE
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2014 |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Varietal Composition | 58% Cabernet Sauvignon
18% Petit Verdot
17% Merlot
7% Cabernet Franc |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley |
| Acid | .57 grams / 100ml |
| PH | 3.95 |
| Alcohol | 15.40% |
| Wine Style | Bordeaux Style Blend |
| Volume | 750 ml |
2014 PIROUETTE - 94+ POINTS
"This inky colored beauty gives up tons of graphite, toasted spice, dried herbs and chocolately dark fruit, full-bodied richness, building ripe tanning and a great finish. It's another killer wine from this estate, and possibly the best to date."
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2014 PIROUETTE - 93 POINTS
"Clean aromas and flavors of cassis, raspberry, licorice and milk chocolate. Fat, velvety and sweet buy also conveys an impression of youthful energy and a medicinal reserve. This very harmonious blend finishes with a serious dose of broad, dusty tannins and palate-saturating length. Very sexy use of oak here."
2014 PIROUETTE - 91 POINTS
"Bright aromas of plum, cranberry, cigar box, blackberry, café au lait and smoke lead to sweet generous red and black fruit flavors. It brings a sense of purity of flavor that aptures the attention."
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This Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine, sourced primarily from Red Mountain, displays structure, richness and a focused mouthfeel that has come to characterize Red Mountain Cabernet. Dionysus Vineyard’s Petit Verdot adds layers of complex aromas and flavors. Weinbau Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) Merlot adds bright, red and black fruit intensity.
After two earlier appearances in Napa Valley, Philippe Melka returned in 1994. He swiftly rose to prominence and is now widely recognized as one of the leading craftsmen of his trade. Melka’s talents are the consequence of an ideal juxtaposition – the geologist’s feel for terroir, the traveler’s familiarity with far-flung wineries and estates, and a vintner’s passion to produce the very best.
Melka graduated from the University of Bordeaux, France, where he received a degree in geology in 1989. In his final year, he took a course in Terroir and Viticulture, and thereafter aspired to become a winemaker. After earning a second degree in Agronomy and Enology, he began to apply what he learned during stints at prestigious wineries in Australia, Italy, California and France (Petrus, Haut Brion and Dominus, among others).
Since his return to Napa Valley, Melka’s technical expertise has contributed to the production of several highly acclaimed wines from a number of elite estates, including Marston, Seavey, Constant, Lail, Bryant Family, Caldwell, Quintessa, Hundred Acre, and Vineyard 29.
Some of the most exciting wines crafted by Melka are from his own labels, Metisse & CJ. These meritage blends pay homage to Melka’s French influence (new oak aging, extended skin contact and gentle handling techniques) as portraitures of classic structure, balance and elegance.
Melka’s blends are also influenced by the effects of terroir on each harvested lot. Although subtly nuanced to most, they are prominent and critical to Melka the geologist. It is the creative touch of Melka the winemaker, by which his wines exude the complexities and full flavors that distinguish his talents from the rest.
Philippe Melka and his wife, Cherie, reside at Melka Cellars in Napa Valley. Cherie is an accomplished wine professional and laboratory manager at Silver Oak.
Agustin Huneeus, Sr. embarked upon his legendary career as a winemaker over four decades ago. He founded premier wineries both in California and Chile, and guided others to worldwide acclaim. He is perhaps best known for his artistry and innovative techniques resulting in critically acclaimed wines crafted in the Bordeaux tradition.
Wines and wineries achieving prominence under Agustin’s hand include Veramonte (Primus) and Concha y Toro of Chile, and Franciscan Oakville Estate, Mount Veeder, Estancia and Quintessa of California. He is considered a trail blazer with his Cuvee Sauvage, Napa Valley’s first wild-yeast fermented Chardonnay, and Magnificat, one of Napa Valley’s first Bordeaux style proprietary blends.
To most vintners, a wine is a Chardonnay, perhaps, or a Zinfandel, or a Merlot. To Agustin, a wine is the embodiment of a place. Its heritage, its terroir, - its ‘somewhereness’, in his words – matters most. Meritage wines, those artful blends that pay tribute to the winemaker rather than to the variety, exemplify the Huneeus principle of “attaching wine to a place.” Agustin’s famous Quintessa, a 100 point winner (1999), testifies to the wisdom of his philosophy of allowing the vineyard to express itself.
Agustin served as Chairman of the 1996 Napa Valley Wine Auction, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Wine Spectator Magazine that same year. He is the former president and current chairman of Franciscan Estates, a winery he brought from obscurity to world prominence. Along with his winery at Long Shadows Vintners, Agustin retains ownership in Veramonte and Quintessa. He resides at Quintessa Estates with his wife, Valeria, who holds a Ph.D., and is a scientist and viticulturist.
