Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Signature Mountain Blend is composed of 60% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Opaque purple-black colored, it slowly unfurls to reveal beguiling scents of baked black plums, boysenberries and chocolate-covered cherries plus hints of lilacs, forest floor, pencil lead and star anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with electric energy and tension, delivering mouth-filling perfumed black fruits and a firm foundation of ripe, rounded tannins, finishing with fantastic length and purity.
Rating: 96+ -
Wine Enthusiast
This rich, well-balanced wine combines black-fruit flavors, thick and supple tannins, and spot-on oak-spice accents that integrate beautifully with the blueberries, dark cherries and black figs that melt on the palate. Sourced from Pritchard Hill, Atlas Peak and Howell Mountain, the wine is definitely big yet harmonious. Best from 2028–2040.
Cellar Selection -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Red Blend Signature Mountain Blend is a more Merlot-dominated blend and includes 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Lots of blue fruits, graphite, tobacco leaf, bouquet garni, and mineral-like notes define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, with a rounded, mouth-filling texture and a big finish. Enjoy this plump, sexy, yet seamless Merlot blend any time over the coming 10-15 years.
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James Suckling
Violets, blackberries, roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with fine, powdery tannins. Sleek with floral and bitter-chocolate notes.
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.