2014 Mettler Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 90.6 points

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  11/11/2023 - jsgibson wrote: 88 Points

  A little past its prime.

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  1/6/2019 - WineDr. Likes this wine: 93 Points

  One year later, the Mettler 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon continues to impress. It has a brooding dark color, elegant bouquet, full body with loads of dark fruit flavors (without being jammy), moderate complexity, a long finish, and the backbone to live for years. It'll probably be even better in 2-3 years. For less than $25/bottle, what's not to like? This remains my favorite cabernet sauvignon for the money. Just remember to decant and let breathe for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
  
  If you like rich reds with substance, lots of dark fruit flavor, and great value for your money, it's highly recommended. If you want subtlety, this wine is probably not for you.

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  2/14/2018 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Black fruit, a bit of bramble, smooth on palate. Vinturi into glass. Medium to heavy, shortish finish. Lacks the acidity to make you want more, but for $16+ what's not to like! Bought 3 more bottles this morning.

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  1/15/2018 - WineDr. Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Since my initial review, I've had Mettler Family Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon several more times. I think it is outstanding and a superb value. It has a deep inky color and beautiful bouquet. On the palate, it is rich, smooth, silky, and complex. It's dark fruit-forward, but not jammy. While drinking great already, it has the backbone for years of aging and shoukd get even better with time.
  
  Blind taste this wine against Napa Valley cabs costing mamy times as much, and it holds its own. It's that good IMHO and my top wine find of 2017. Highly recommended.

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  11/16/2017 - WineDr. Likes this wine: 94 Points

  I never heard of Mettler (in Lodi, California) until I saw a glowing review (92 pts) for the Mettler Family Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon in WINE ENTHUSIAST magazine. Moreover, the review indicated good aging potential and recommended drinking after 2022.
  
  As the prior (2013) vintage got 91 pts, this didn't appear to be a fluke.
  
  Outstanding Napa Valley cabs are increasingly priced beyond anything other than special occasions, so I figured I had to try the 2014 Mettler cab with its retail price of $25. It's estate grown fruit (88% cabernet sauvignon, 12% petite sirah) and was aged 16 months in French oak (40% new, 30% 1-year old).
  
  I bought a few bottles at $22 eqch and decided to have one. It was decanted, aerated for 1 hour, and then drunk over the next 3 hours.
  
  The heftier-than-usual bottle may not be significant, but it was a nice starting point. It's something you'd expect to find, but don't, in some high-end wines like Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon -- one of my favorites.
  
  The color is deep reddish purple. The nose is fragrant and delightful. The palate is fresh fruit forward -- but not jammy -- and silky smooth with black cherry, dark chocolate, and vanilla notes. The oak accents are appropriate. The tannins are somewhat prominent at this point. The finish is long and lush. While the alcohol content is high (15.6%), it isn't offensive on the nose or palate.
  
  Overall, this is an excellent wine with potential for a long future. It even reminds me in a way of my beloved Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, which costs about 7-8X as much. Interestingly enough, for whatever it's worth, the 2014 Caymus Special Selection got 90 pts from WINE ENTHUSIAST and 91 pts from WINE SPECTATOR.
  
  I rate the 2014 Mettler Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 92-94 pts at this young stage in its life. With fleshing out of its tannins over coming years, it could go into the 94-96 pts range. While delightful already, it should be best after 2020 (or so) and last to 2030.
  
  It's the best cab in the $25 price range that I've had in recent memory and at least as good as any Napa cab I've had in the $50-75 price range. Kudos to Mettler!

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