2014 Fiancetto Cabernet Sauvignon Sobrante Loam Napa Valley 750 ml

A Benchmark Cabernet from Napa’s Rising Star

We thought it was all gone. We offered the 2014 Fiancetto Cabernet Sauvignon "Sobrante Loam" Napa Valley back in December 2016 and it all sold out. Or so we thought, until Ry Richards, the brilliant young protege of Chappellet’s Phil Titus brought in another bottle. He’d just found a pallet long forgotten in the winery where he stores his wine. The names of the winemakers who have been seduced by the same Sobrante Loam soil series and the volcanic rock of the substrata where Ry’s grapes hail from, are of equal stature: Philippe Melka, Mark Aubert, Bob Long and Jeff Ames. While their Cabernets fetch triple digits, just $27.99 per bottle for a benchmark 2014 Cabernet — a pittance for one of the best-ever offerings from one of Napa’s rising stars.

Last week, Ry Richards, brought us a bottle of his 2014 Fiancetto “Sobrante Loam,” which we offered two years ago. We had declared it the poster child for Napa’s monumental 2014 vintage and thought it all sold out. But Ry had discovered a pallet and immediately brought a bottle into Wine Access HQ. With another 14 months in bottle, we’re now calling it the BENCHMARK of Napa’s 2014 vintage. Stunning aromatics of red, black and blue fruit tinged with cedar and spice reveal massive power and concentration on the palate, while firm Rutherford tannins are beginning to soften. Knowing the cost of the fruit (a strict NDA has our lips sealed), we cut a check on the spot. As far as bargains go, Ry could have easily asked for twice the price, but lucky for us, fast cash and exposure continue to be prerequisites for Napa’s young winemakers — even the elite ones.

Over the last seven years, Ry Richards’ star has been rising meteorically in Napa Valley. Assistant winemaker at Chappellet by day, Ry hung out his own shingle in 2009 and has consistently dazzled Wine Access clients with his deft touch at Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re not totally sure how he does it (Ry also has a wife and two toddlers at home) but we’ve seen the results — his 2013 Fiancetto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon received 153 4- and 5-star ratings from members.

And while Ry’s struggles as a cash-poor upstart have been well documented on Wine Access, and we like to think we’re doing the young Richards a favor, spreading his opulent, black-fruited offerings to WineAccess clients — it’s more often the case that he’s doing us a favor these days. Save for today, when we we got lucky on another allocation of this 2014 Fiancetto.

The Cabernet grapes were drawn off well-drained, gravelly loam soils along the Rutherford bench. And in 2014, those grapes could evolve on the vine at their own pace and growers had the luxury of bringing them in at perfect phenolic ripeness. As Ry explained, “Colors were striking — deep blue and black — sugars were sky-high, the equivalent of 2012, and tannins were nearly as sturdy as the age-worthy 2013s.” In his report entitled, “The Game Changer,” Robert Parker echoed Richards, writing that 2014, like the previous two vintages before it, had ideal temperatures and drought conditions — quite possibly the best back-to-back-to-back vintages the Valley has ever experienced.

In view of such greatness, Ry decided to double down. “I bought the best fruit I could find. It wasn’t cheap,” he told us. “I’ve moved most of it, but not all, and those bottles I’ve had sitting in my cellars, are beginning to shine.” So, what are you waiting for? Show Ry the same love he’s shown for Wine Access over the years, and let’s help him clear out his 2014s to make room for those 2015s and beyond.

Jonathan Cristaldi
Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access