2014 Karo-Kann Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Hitting Cabernet Jackpot-Heaven In Oakville

The heart of Oakville produces some of the greatest and most expensive wines in the world—Opus One, Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Mondavi To Kalon—opulent, velvet-like bottlings that boast 100-point scores, and price tags that soar into quadruple digits. Some would say it’s impossible to find value here in Cabernet heaven. We would say it’s not easy. If you love everything about high-end Napa Cabernet, except the price, this one’s for you. Just $24.99 per bottle on cases.

With that in mind, we can’t say a word about the exact location or name of the winery where the 2014 Karo Kann Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley was grown—to get Oakville fruit with this kind of pedigree, we had to sign a lengthy NDA. What we can say is that in a blind tasting against Oakville Cabs with much higher price tags, the 2014 Karo Kann was right at home. The bouquet is wildly aromatic, showing dark-berry fruit tinged with mocha and new-wood cedar. The palate is classic Oakville: rich, and wonderfully concentrated, with brambly black fruit accented by thistle and spice.

The definition of an under-$25 outlier, this 2014 Karo Kann Cabernet was sourced from a small production, boutique winery, just a stone’s throw from Opus One, where the 2014 Cabernets received glowing reviews from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate—all between 92-96 points—while sporting release prices north of $120. Made from the winery’s estate grown fruit, the 2014 Karo Kann stands shoulder to shoulder with these $120 Cabs, boasting characteristic Oakville richness and clout, at a fraction of the cost.

Like its nearby neighbor, Opus One, the fruit for the 2014 Karo Kann was grown in a unique spot in Oakville benefitting from the cooling influence of morning fog from the south, balanced by sun-filled afternoons and warmer currents from further the north. The resulting push-pull between hot and cold allows the grapes to ripen beautifully while retaining acidity and freshness. In the glass, it all comes together in the form of elegant, well-balanced boldness: a hallmark of Oakville and the 2014 Karo Kann.

P.S. Why did we choose the name “Karo-Kann?” Some Wine Access lifers were avid chess players in high school. Their hero was Bobby Fischer. While still in his teens he became the youngest grandmaster up to that time, and championed the Two Knights Caro-Kann Defense. However, he is more commonly associated with the Exchange Variation of the Caro-Kann defense, which he employed to defeat his rival, Tigran Petrosian, in the famous USSR vs the Rest of the World tournament of 1970, despite the fact he only used it one other time in his career. One of our Wine Access loyalist has also pointed out that, having popularized the defense in his youth, Fischer spent the later part of his career playing against it.  

P.P.S So why Karo with a “k”, and not a “c?” With apologies to Horatio Caro, the English player for which it’s named, you’ll have to ask our trademark attorney.