Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This red is earthy in tones of barnyard, sage and crushed rock, with underlying plush fruit. With 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc included, it boasts rich red fruit that broadens and lengthens the midpalate. It shows an enduring succulence on the balanced finish.
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Decanter
Very savoury and spice-laden on the nose, showing aromas of cigar box, chicory, sandalwood and redcurrants. The palate is beautifully multidimensional: deep but bright, weighty and forward but with great length and integration. A definitive showing of Calistoga, built for at least two decades in the cellar but will also reward those who want to check in at an earlier stage. Brought up in 66% new French oak.
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James Suckling
Pretty aromas of currants, walnuts and fresh tobacco follow through to a full-bodied palate with dusty, chewy tannins and lots of berry, coffee and lightly toasted-oak undertones in the aftertaste. Needs some time to resolve the tannins. Very drinkable now, but better after 2025.
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Wine Spectator
A flash of menthol leads off, followed quickly by intense cassis, blackberry preserves and plum reduction flavors. Notes of singed alder and cedar score the finish, with the menthol hint peeking back in for an encore. Distinctive. Best from 2022 through 2036.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc, the base 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a beauty, offering classic currant and mulled cherry fruits as well as plenty of cedarwood, tobacco, and spice aromas and flavors. It's rich and medium to full-bodied, with some grippy tannins and a classy finish. It's going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak (66% new), the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (White Label) has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and skips out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of kirsch, black raspberries and cassis plus nuances of red roses, pencil shavings, cinnamon stick and wild sage plus a touch of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers a gorgeous, plush texture and just enough freshness to lift the generous black and red berry layers to a long, fragrant finish.
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.