2014 RdV Vineyards Rendezvous

The 2014 Rendezvous, the Right Bank version of a Bordeaux blend, is a blend of 42% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 months in 60% new French oak. It comes in at 14.3% alcohol. Few in Virginia are producing Bordeaux blends that have this quality of fruit. The intensity of flavor, while keeping the mid-palate finesse, is impressive. It finishes with complex nuances, including a touch of herbs and lead. The team at RdV said the 2014s are closed down, but the flavors seemed rather expressive and exuberant to me, adding some cherries and cassis. There is that purity and clarity to the expression of fruit. This doesn't have the concentration of the 2015, but it is far more appealing right now—although not quite ready. The tannins are controlled but real. This is beautiful, and it will age well.