Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reveals a dense purple color as well as a Bordeaux-like nose of blue fruits, green tobacco, cedarwood, and spring flowers. This fresh, medium to full-bodied beauty offers a wonderful sense of purity, a notable sense of freshness, and gorgeous overall balance. It reminds me of a great vintage of Ducru-Beaucaillou. It has the balance and elegance to drink nicely today, yet it's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and age gracefully for two decades. This is impressive and is for those who like a slightly restrained, Old World style in their Napa Cabernet.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.