2014 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake
Community Tasting Note
JLuch1 Likes this wine:
Friday, October 7, 2016 - Had at Gary's PNV tasting. (Barnett, Aloft, Roy, Round Pond, Emerson Brown, and others). Was considered by the majority as the wine of the evening, even against others pnv juice. A tremendously delicious wine. For us we enjoyed it more than the pnv vintage that was a blend of cab sauv and franc. We acquired the 2013 vintage after visiting the winery and will acquire the 2014 after tasting. Would def recommend giving this years in the cellar. No formal notes but will post the winemakers notes below:
"The 2014 Rattlesnake is deeply purple and opaque in color. The nose is filled with blackberry, concentrated cassis and crushed violets, matched with cocoa nibs, black licorice and anise. The viscosity and plushness of the wine is immense. The sizeable chalky tannins begin to emerge showing the wines youthfulness. Blackberry puree, menthol and dark cooking chocolate are predominant on the palate. The tannins are big but so is the wine overall, which demands time in the cellar. This immense yet beautifully balanced wine will age wonderfully over the next 18-20 years (2034-2036)."
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Comment posted by JLuch1:
12/5/2016 12:25:00 PM - Thanks for the praise on my notes. Unfortunately I have not tasted much else from the 14 vintage to date. Also, I don't recall how long the Barnett's had the 14 Rattlesnake opened during the tasting before we had it in our glass. I will add they did keep it in the bottle versus pour in to a decanter, while other vintners had decanted their PNV wines. If I had to open a bottle this Holiday season, I would either decant a few hours ahead or slow ox 8+ hours. It was a big and grippy wine and the winemakers notes also suggest the same. I would think it would continue to evolve over the course of dinner/the evening. I hesitate to say open it even sooner in advance because the 14 did seem a bit more approachable than 13, and I'd hate for you to miss its sweet spot. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful on specifics.