2014 HALL Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece is one of the more harmonious 2014s I tasted during my most recent visit to Hall. A dark, sumptuous wine, the Jack's Masterpiece captures all of the flamboyance that make the Hall wines so compelling. Plum, black cherry, menthol, licorice and a host of dark spices meld into the huge, resonant finish. (AG)

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece is another wine that’s going to flirt with perfection in a few years. Currants, cassis, liquid rock and hints of graphite are just some of the nuances here, and it hits the palate with a ripe, opulent, yet finesse-driven style that carries masses of fine tannin. Like all the wines here, it's the purity, tannin quality, depth, and length putting it at the top of the heap. One of the eye-opening tastings while working on this report was the lineup from Kathryn Hall’s estate located in St. Helena. There’s a wealth of wines here, yet they all have deep, concentrated, pure profiles as well as singular characters. You could pretty much randomly select from this lineup and be guaranteed to have a brilliant wine. Hats off to winemaker Steve Leveque. All the 2016s, and the majority of the 2015s, were tasted as barrel samples.

Deep purple-black in color, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece delivers wonderfully spicy blackberry compote, blueberry pie and black pepper notions with hints of dried Mediterranean herbs, truffles and charcuterie. Full-bodied, concentrated and laden with spiced black and blue fruit preserves flavors, the generous fruit is well supported by chewy tannins and an invigorating backbone, finishing with great persistence.