Winemaker Notes
The 2018 vintage is phenomenal with critics saying it has produced some of the best wines they have tasted in a decade. 2018 Illustration exudes aromas of coffee, black cherry, black licorice, porcini mushrooms, toffee, and coconut. Rich flavors of plum, cocoa, coffee, and cherry with supple tannins lead to a rich finish.
Blend: 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Mostly Merlot, the 2018 Illustration Proprietary Red offers up a pretty, medium to full-bodied, impressive, and balanced style as well as lots of ripe black cherry fruits supported by truffle and cedary herb nuances. It's another beautiful, elegant wine from this estate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Illustration Proprietary Red is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it offers up seductive scents of stewed plums, warm black cherries and mulberries with touches of spice cake, licorice and potpourri. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is plush and elegantly played with beautiful expression and a spicy kick to the finish. This is expected to be released this summer.
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James Suckling
A wine with lots of floral and blackberry aromas, together with some bark, pine needle and tar. Medium-bodied, savory and fresh palate and a refined, juicy finish.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.