10/14/2024 – Saint Helena, CA – Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) announces that consumers can access wines from the 2014 vintage through Open The Cellar offerings exclusively from Napa Valley wineries. Winemakers describe the 2014 vintage as an excellent season, noting perfect weather, abundant crop and good fortune, leading to 2014 wines with excellent quality and depth of flavor.
From October 14-21, 2024, more than 85 wineries will have special 10-year-old library wines available for purchase direct from their cellars through openthecellar.com. These high-quality wines are not typically available to the public for purchase and have been hand-selected by each winemaker to share with consumers for one week only during Open The Cellar. Many of the wines available will be sold in limited quantities, so those interested are encouraged to shop early.
Napa Valley wines are known for their age-worthiness, and while now is a great time to enjoy 2014 cellared wines, the vintage is expected to show well for many years to come. At the time of release, the vintage received great praise from wine critics, and even today, it continues to receive positive press affirming that Napa Valley wines age beautifully.
In September, NVV hosted several wine writers for a preview tasting of a selection of the 2014 wines featured in Open The Cellar. Among them were Jonathan Cristaldi of Decanter, Lisa Perrotti-Brown of The Wine Independent and Jim Gordon of jamessuckling.com.
“Fine Napa Valley Cabernet typically begins hitting its stride after a decade,” said Cristaldi. “The 2014s are there now. Their initial compactness and firm tannins are softening as secondary characteristics emerge. They have plenty of freshness, fruit, and life ahead of them.” Similarly, Perrotti-Brown noted in a recent article, “The 2014s tend to be gregarious and fun with flirty floral and savory nuances as well as some red berry highlights.”
Gordon praised the vintage saying, “if you can get your hands on some 2014s now, they’re going to reward you for quite a few years.” He went on to say that he has “long told friends and readers that a good time to drink any reputable Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is at 10 years of age. And those from nested AVAs or that are estate-grown or single-vineyard-designated often cruise easily to 20 years.”
Just this October, Wine Spectator also published retrospective tasting notes with writer James Molesworth saying that “the 2014 vintage is aging beautifully, marrying rich fruit with a sense of freshness.” Molesworth went on to say that he “continued to rate the vintage at 95 points” and gave many praiseworthy reviews of 2014 vintage Cabernet Sauvignons.
As part of the celebration of the vintage, wine enthusiasts are invited to join NVV’s online session on Monday, October 14th, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. PT. Open The Cellar: Celebrating Napa Valley’s 2014 Vintage will be led by Amanda McCrossin in which winemakers Ivo Jeramaz of Grgich Hills Estate, Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock Winery, Ashley Egelhoff of Honig Vineyard & Winery and Jonathan Tyer of Inglenook will taste and discuss the vintage and how the wines are tasting now.
For anyone seeking information on the Napa Valley wine region’s vintages, NVV’s harvestnapa.com website provides resources. The site is a comprehensive listing of winemaker updates throughout the season, videos, vintage carts, quotes and links to articles about each vintage.
About Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its nearly 550 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, provide environmental leadership and care for the extraordinary place they call home. NVV has invested more than $230 million in community healthcare, youth development and the environment in Napa County, and is dedicated to improving diversity and championing inclusivity in its community and in the wine industry. Learn more at napavintners.com.
