Winemaker Notes
Dark ruby in the glass with an opaque core, the telltale intense dark berry fruit and minerality greet the nose. There is a dusty, almost chalky suggestion leading the aromas with bay leaf, roasted rosemary, Acai, plum and blueberry skin as well as fresh violets, rosemary blossoms and hints of distant lavender with a dash of nutmeg.
The palate is both dense and elegant with round yet grippy tannins and a mouth-coating texture that lingers and evolves. Tension between cocoa, espresso and sweet blackberry, blueberry and plum fruit create a lovely interplay of layered flavor. Some herbal notes underlie the fruit, with bay laurel, roasted thyme and savory rosemary. It offers a persistent, long finish where its youthful power makes its presence known.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a fragrant nose of violets, blackcurrants, cassis, peppermint, dark chocolate and sandalwood. It’s full-bodied with firm, fine tannins and vibrant acidity. Polished and elegant. Try from 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak features scents of cherries, blueberries, sage and bay leaf on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate delivers on the promise of harmony and balance, with fine-grained tannins and a softly dusty finish. I can't say I'm a fan of the packaging, but what's inside the bottle—and subsequently in the glass—is pretty darn good.
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Wine Spectator
Singed sage and savory notes weave around a core of steeped plum and black currant fruit flavors, while substantial tarry notes and earth-driven grip provide the structure. There's solid energy despite the heft here. Best from 2023 through 2036.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a mountain terroir in the southeast part of the valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak offers a sappy, racy nose of blue fruits, violets, bay leaf, and resinous herbs. This carries to a medium-bodied, nicely textured, balanced wine with plenty of mountain tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and a clean finish. It's another elegant yet well-made wine from this estate. It has enough tannins to warrant short-term cellaring and should keep for 10-15 years.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Just northeast of Napa city, Atlas Peak boasts some of Napa Valley’s highest elevation vineyards. Here the intense sunlight coupled with cool, nighttime temperatures produce grapes that are perfectly ripe, balanced and concentrated. The appellation is rich in volcanic soils and excels in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.