Winemaker Notes
An homage to a stellar vintage, our 2018 Double Eagle Red is a classic Bordeaux blend culled from premier valley-floor vineyards in Oakville and St Helena. It opens with intense aromatics of bramble berry and currant, nuanced by notes of vanilla and oak spice from 20 months in French oak barrels. The round, voluptuous palate echoes the nose with layers of saturated dark fruit, focused by a fine tannin tension that persists on the long, elegant finish.
Blend: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, the 2018 Double Eagle Red Wine reveals a dense purple color as well as ripe, powerful notes of black and blue fruits, toasted spice, graphite, candied violets, and orange zest. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and nicely balanced, it has ripe tannins, plenty of freshness, and the class to evolve for 15-20 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot, this is a powerful, brooding and full-bodied wine, this vintage the first made with the help of Atelier Melka. Leather, cedar and cigar make it supremely earthy and savory, with notes of black currant and berry matched by toasted oak and grippy tannin.
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Wine Spectator
Composed of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Double Eagle Red rolls effortlessly out of the glass with notions of ripe red and blackcurrants, chocolate-covered cherries and mulberries plus hints of menthol, pencil lead and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling, crunchy black fruits, framed by grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and lifted.
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.