Continuum - Proprietary Red 2014
Price: $228.00
| Producer | Continuum |
| Country | United States |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Napa Valley |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Vintage | 2014 |
| Sku | 01968 |
Continuum Description
“Continuum is a single wine, produced with clarity of focus at the highest quality level. A unique wine, it is a blend of Cabernet family varieties grown on our hillside vineyard above the Napa Valley.”
Tim Mondavi
VINTAGE NOTES-The 2014 growing season continued the dry weather pattern at Continuum Estate, a drought cycle initiated in 2013. With no rain to speak of in Fall 2013, the Spring of 2014 gave us a wet February, a moderately moist March and then nothing until well after harvest. As a result, bud break was extraordinarily early as was bloom, fruit set, veraison and harvest, which began for us in early September and was finished by the beginning of October. Yet the early start to the season gave the vines plenty of time to ripen the Cabernet family fruit and we were blessed with excellent quality. One unexpected occurrence in 2014 was the Southwest Napa earthquake on August 24th. While a great deal of damage happened in and around the town of Napa, Continuum Estate was spared, as it is a good 30 miles from the quake epicenter. In 2014 Continuum Estate continued night harvest operations for the majority of the season. While this requires more labor and equipment it also ensures all fruit is delivered to the winery at cooler temperatures thereby promoting a cleaner fermentation. Our specially designed estate winery, completed in 2013, performed wonderfully in its sophomore year, guaranteeing excellent quality. Overall, 2014 was a fabulous year; balanced, rich, concentrated and beautifully structured.
WINEGROWING-100% of the 2014 Continuum was grown on Pritchard Hill in the western hills above Oakville. Our 38 acres of mature estate vineyard, with an average age of 23 years, has a variety of western and south facing aspects with plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot.
PRODUCTION-Continuum is 100% estate grown, produced and bottled. All fruit was selectively hand-harvested into small lug-boxes, sorted before and after de-stemming, then gravity fed into French oak tanks or cement tanks for fermentation. After fermentation, all lots were drained, with pomace pressed separately, to 68% new small French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. The wine was clarified slowly and naturally through the use of traditional settling and racking techniques and bottled without fining or filtration. Each vineyard lot was tasted and carefully considered when assembling the 2014. In the end, 20% of potential lots were declassified, as they did not meet Continuum’s standard of quality. The 2014 spent a total of 21 months in barrel.
TASTING NOTES- A dense purple robe and vibrant violet rim lead to aromas of cassis, cardamom, espresso and graphite. 2014 shows purity of site and fruit; a core of black plum and cherry, intertwined with layers of exotic spice, heightened by ripe, polished tannins, natural vibrancy and a long silky finish. This vintage reveals the harmonious balance of fruit, site and season from our Sage Mountain Vineyard at Continuum Estate.
Vinous Media: 97 Points
A stunning wine, the 2014 Continuum exudes balance and class. Super-ripe red cherry, kirsch, mocha, menthol and rose petal infuse this beautifully layered, fragrant wine. The 2014 is layered and nuanced to the core, all while maintaining sublime finesse. At the outset, the 2014 is gracious and light on it its feet, but time and air bring out the wine's fruit density. Healthy dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot complement the Cabernet Sauvignon nicely. Two thousand-fourteen is also the first vintage that incorporates co-fermented lots.
-- Antonio Galloni
James Suckling
Sweet plums and raspberries. Forest floor character. Full body, with firm and silky tannins and a bright finish of dark fruits and citrus. Racy and refined. Dense and balanced. Closed still. Excellent potential from Tim Mondavi. Best after 2014.
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