Winemaker Notes
By popular demand, this 2018 Audere Red Blend (39% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc) best-seller is topping the charts with a total production of 329 cases. 23 months barrel aged in 90% New French and Hungarian Oak, in typical bold fashion, it comes out guns blazing with lots of extract, some serious tannin, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. This blend hails from ultra premium, volcanic Napa areas such as the Pritchard Hill area, Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, and their very own Rockwell Ridge estate vineyard (35 feet below Howell Mountain). It is an exuberant, rich wine with red cherries, oodles of black fruits, and coffee notes. Very reminiscent of the inaugural 2013 Audere, this is sure to please even the biggest Sideways-loving, Merlot-hater...and yes, the rumors are true….this label glows-in-the dark! Turn off the lights and see for yourself.
Blend: 39% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Checking in as a mix of 39% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Red Blend Audere gives up a solid, darker, subtly herbal nose with lots of black fruits, chocolate, and spicy nuances. This carries to a ripe, plush, sexy red offering a big, expansive mouthfeel, plenty of mid-palate depth, and ripe tannins. I don't think it's going to make the oldest bones, but it will certainly put a smile on your face over the coming 7-8 years or more.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich black cherries and milk-chocolate notes give a ripe, saturated expression to this full-bodied wine, while well-integrated tannins add needed structure. Made from mostly Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and sourced from three mountain locations, the wine is velvety, flavorful and almost sweet on the 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.