Bevan - Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Vineyard 2014

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Bevan Cellars only produced wines from this particular vineyard for several years and no longer makes wines from this vineyard. McGah Vineyard was owned by the same family that co-founded the Oakland Raiders.

Bevan Description

Russell Bevan has a led a varied life. Born in Ukiah, CA he earned his Master's in Philosophy from Gonzaga University in Washington. His wine career began with working for a Gallo distributor, selling to grocery stores. Then, in the mid-’90s, he wrote a wine column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. This gave him access to many of the great winemakers in California who later became mentors when he moved to Northern California.

In 2004, their friend Kal Showket (owner of Showket Vineyard, since sold to Peter Michael and now known as Au Paradis Vineyard) offered to sell him a ton of Cabernet Sauvignon. He leaped at the chance, and Bevan Cellars was born. By 2012, he was able to migrate a portion of the production to Napa. “That’s when things began to take off for Bevan Cellars,” said Russell. “We had a beautiful facility to host new customers and grow the brand.” By 2017, their Napa production had grown significantly, and they were invited by the Tench family to move into their newly built winemaking facility next to the Tench Vineyard. “With our strong ties to the vineyard source and the Oakville AVA, it was an obvious choice for us,” said Russell.

“We approach winemaking from a texture standpoint,” said Russell. “We know that special vineyards will give us flavor and aromatics, but managing textural balance is where the real magic lies."

-- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent

Wine Advocate: 95 Points

From Rutherford comes the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Vineyard. It is a small cuvée of 125 cases. Dense purple to the rim with notes of blackberry, cassis, white flowers, cedar wood and smoky barbecue, the wine is full-bodied, opulent, fleshy and showing extremely well already. This wine will continue to offer considerable pleasure for another 15 or more years.

Vinous: 94 Points

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Vineyard is a dark, powerful and virile wine. Black cherry, plum, mocha, chocolate, licorice, spice and new leather infuse the creamy, voluptuous finish. This is another racy, intense wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. The McGah is not the most complex wine in the range, but it is one of the most immediate and delicious. I especially like the depth and gravitas here. This is an overachieving wine from a site on the southern end of Rutherford that has only rarely produced wines of this level. In a word: terrific. (AG) (10/2016)