Accolades

The 2015 Audax Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder smaller portions Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. Aged for 27 months in 50% new French oak, the wine shows gorgeous kirsch tones that combine with creme de cassis, wild herbs and mocha tones that all mingle together in unison. The palate has a seamless texture and wonderful sense of opulence. Layers of dark fruits combine with dark chocolate shavings, thyme and sweet pipe tobacco with loamy terroir. A complete wine, this is simply marvelous now at the five year mark as the 2015 Audax Cabernet Sauvignon will provide drinking enjoyment for many decades to come. Drink 2020-2038. http://www.washingtonwineblog.com/new-reviews#/california

Rich Cook reviews the 2013 Audax at WineReviewOnline on April 2, 2019: 95 points A pleasure to be able to recommend the second vintage of this bottling from winemaker Cary Gott.  A heralded vintage in Napa Valley is put on brilliant display here, with layered varietally correct aromas and flavors presented in bold style without going into the overripe zone.  It finishes long with depth and good integration of all the elements.  The packaging makes this a top-notch gift bottle for the aficionado in your circle, and it comes in on the low side of the price spectrum for a wine of its quality.  Well done, two years running!    http://winereviewonline.com/wine_reviews.cfm

2013 Audax is reviewed in the February 6, 2019 Nittany Epicurean: AUDAX, meaning “bold” in Latin, is Calla Lily Estate’s barrel-selection reserve wine made as a tribute to the pioneers of Napa Valley, many of whom settled in Pope Valley, by its fourth generation winemaker, Cary Gott. This wine is mostly cabernet sauvignon (86.6%) blended with small amounts of merlot (13.2%) and cabernet franc (0.2%). Following fermentation, the wine was aged for 27 months in French oak barrels (50% new). It comes in at 14.5% ABV. The wine showed a dark ruby color. Black cherry, vanilla, eucalyptus, licorice, raspberry preserves and oak all arrived on the nose. Black cherry, vanilla, eucalyptus, raspberry, licorice, cassis and oak followed on a palate that lead off with the perfect balance of cherry and vanilla. The wine exhibited great structure and length, along with big, chewy tannins. This wine could cellar for 5-6 years. It can also be enjoyed now after decanting paired with a seared dry-aged ribeye. http://nittanyepicurean.blogspot.com/2019/02/2013-audax-napa-valley-cabernet.html

2014 Audax is reviewed in the February 2019 issue of California Grapevine: Medium ruby; attractive, ripe, cassis and blackberry fruit aroma with spicy notes and hints of cedar, dried herbs, and vanilla; full body; forward, rich, ripe, fleshy, dark fruit flavors with undertones of toasty oak, and a full, plush mouthfeel; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Shows good depth and some complexity as it developed with airing, and while enjoyable to taste now, it deserve several more year of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Winethropology tastes the two wines: What do oligarchs drink on the weekend? Probably this.  If they're lucky, that is. Calla Lily is a relatively young, small production winery founded in 2010 in the Pope Valley, a quiet valley in the northeast corner of Napa county.  And Audax is their top tier cabernet label. Packaged in polished, dark, bunker-buster bottles (more than twice the weight of typical 750ml bottles) finished with raised gold lettering and an ancient looking coin emblem, these bottles just look expensive. With that as an introduction, you might expect a viscous, syrupy juice to ease into the glass. Instead, both vintages offered gleaming ruby splashing with confidence.  Could the color indicate what was to come in the palate? Both vintages are in possession of unmistakable classic Napa Valley characteristics: prominent nose showcasing the brooding side of cabernet, prodigious fruit, broad shouldered framing from a French oak regimen, and elegant mouth-puckering tannins. Cassis, date, and plum dominate, while suggestions of eucalyptus, vanillin, cedar and dust round out the complex flavor experience. These wines are so clearly siblings, but the 2014 is everything the 2013 is, plus-plus. All the desirable attributes of the 2013 are amplified in the 2014. [...]

93 points: Deep purple color. Concentrated fruit on the nose (black currant, blackberries and blueberries), with deep violets, spiced black tea, earth, cocoa and mint. Full-bodied, a bit more powerful in its presence than the 2013, but still vibrant acidity, and the tannins are sturdy but show rounded edges. Pretty depth of fruit (currants, blackberries, plums), but it’s still nice and fresh. Notes of anise, cocoa, earth, mint and cedar. Plush and forward but lively. This could use five to eight years in the cellar, but it’s a lovely wine. 14.7% alcohol.  http://www.terroirist.com/2018/12/wine-reviews-california-new-releases-7/#more-27558

93 points: Deep purple color. Nose shows tart black currant, juicy blackberries (gorgeous depth of fruit), with complex notes of mint, scorched earth, cocoa nibs, violets, deep but vibrant scents in here. Full but not heavy (14.5% alcohol), held together with sturdy tannins and surprisingly fresh acidity. Deep, concentrated but tangy black currants and dark plums, the fruit is juicy but really vibrant, and laced with a nice mix of earth, mint, dark chocolate and cedar. Fresh enough to be enjoyed now, but strength for the cellar, surely.  http://www.terroirist.com/2018/12/wine-reviews-california-new-releases-7/#more-27558

The Wine Advocate reviewed the 2015 Audax in its December 2017 issue: 92-94 points: A barrel sample composed of 92.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.6% Merlot, 3.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.6% Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Audax has a complex nose of exotic spices, baked cherries and blackberries plus mulberries, baking spices, fallen leaves and pencil shavings hints. Full-bodied, rich and lively in the mouth, it has a firm backbone and a long finish with layers of herbs and spices. https://www.robertparker.com/wines/nSaXfsx8wL6JRy5rX

Vinography reviews the 2012 Audax: Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raisins, chocolate and oak. In the mouth, the fruit is fresher than the nose would suggest, with cherry and cola and tobacco flavors tinged with oak and surrounded by a suede blanket of tannins. Decent acidity makes for that fresher quality, and the oak is more restrained than it first appears. http://www.vinography.com/archives/2017/08/vinography_unboxed_week_of_jul_12.html