$169.99
Critical Acclaim: 97 pts Jeb Dunnuck; 96 pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 96 pts Vinous; 94 pts Wine Spectator.
Winemaker Tasting Notes: Well balanced and with considerable life expectation, the 2018 has much in common with past classic vintages made from our vineyard over the past three and a half decades. The 2018 wine was made from a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet franc and 1% Petit Verdot, all grown on slopes at 2,000 feet elevation here at our vineyard on Spring Mountain overlooking the Napa Valley. Our vines are between 23 and 35 years old.
"Taking lots of air to show at its best, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a brilliant, classic, age-worthy wine from this great estate. It certainly shows the more structured, vibrant style of the 2018 vintage with lively acids, yet it has utterly classic Cabernet crème de cassis and almost blue fruits as well as Bordeaux-like notes of lead pencil, cedarwood, tobacco, and assorted floral nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it brings rock-solid intensity, perfectly ripe yet building, firm tannins, and again, the vintage's freshness, purity, and elegance. It reminds me of a top Saint-Julien and classic, old school, structured Cabernet that will reward bottle age. It needs 7-8 years to hit maturity (it's approachable today with a healthy decant), and I have no doubt this will be a 30- to 40-year wine."- Jeb Dunnuck.
"Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers up intense notes of crushed black currants, fresh blackberries and ripe red plums with hints of pencil lead, black raspberries, underbrush and unsmoked cigars plus a touch of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers bold, crunchy black and red berry layers with a lively backbone and firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and energetic."- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
Varietal: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.