Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Firebelle is the most captivating bottling of this wine since the 2013 vintage. You are immediately drawn into the Merlot’s deep, blue fruit perfume wrapped in a heady expression of raspberry bubble gum. On subsequent sniffs, purple flower, plum and cola notes bound out of the glass and are woven together with warming winter spices - the result of aging of the finished wine for 20 months in a mix of new and neutral French oak barrels. The palate is exuberant, carrying an energy of fruitfulness and spice across your tongue. With a base of savory earth tones, red clay and loam, a brambly mix of forest floor fruits are accentuated with red cherry cola and roasted meats. The medium body of this wine is tightly integrated with the tannins, accounting for the incredible length of time that you continue to taste the wine after you have finished your first sip.
Blend: 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Marrying 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is focused, soft and rounded in feel, with an underlying structure that should lend well to aging. It shows integrated notes of cedar, dried herb and slate that mix with a core of blueberry and plum. Lingering accents of nutmeg and cocoa nib mark the close. Enjoy from 2028–2033. Cellar Selection.
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James Suckling
Lovely aromas of tile, blackberries and plums with some lavender and violets, following through to a full body with chewy, round tannins that are layered into the pretty, not overly ripe fruit. Boisterous nature to this, but it will calm down with age. 75% merlot and 25% cabernet.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French oak (75% new), the 2018 Firebelle (White Label) has a deep garnet-purple color and notes of red currant jelly, stewed plums and mulberries with an undercurrent of black cherry compote, dried Mediterranean herbs and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate has loads of savory sparks among the plummy black fruit flavors with rounded tannins and well-balanced acidity, finishing on a peppery note.
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.