Winemaker Notes
A hue of deep bright ruby red with an intense and complex bouquet of red cherry and blackberry intermixed with notes of minerals (graphite, wet river rock), licorice, fresh blond tobacco and a hint of black currant. Full-bodied, the palate is reminiscent of the nose, with a richly tannic yet round frame leading to a long, seamless and elegant finish. Built to age for decades, the collectible Morlet Estate will open up after a few years of cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the “home” estate, very close to Colgin's Tychson Hill vineyard, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Morlet Estate has a deep garnet-purple color, striding confidently out of the glass with classic notes of cassis, baked plums, ripe blackberries and pencil lead, plush nuances of tobacco leaf, black olives, violets and bay leaves with an exotic touch of cardamom. The full-bodied palate explodes in the mouth with crunchy black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long with loads of mineral sparks.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Morlet Estate cuvée was first produced in 2016 and comes from vines just beside the winery, right off Highway 29, north of St. Helena. It might be the most Bordeaux-like wine in the lineup with its textbook Cabernet notes of cedar pencil, green tobacco, and bouquet garni nuances, yet it still brings that classic Napa Valley fruit and richness, with loads of red, blue, and black fruits all present. Full-bodied, concentrated, and nicely structured on the palate, this beauty is balanced, has integrated acidity, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. As with all these 2018s from Luc Morlet, it’s an incredible bottle of wine that’s almost impossible to find fault with. While it’s thrilling today, 2-4 years of bottle age are warranted, and it should evolve for decades.
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Vinous
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Morlet Estate is positively stellar. Inky and sumptuous to the core, the 2018 possesses notable richness from start to finish. Inky red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal, sweet spice and a kiss of new French oak build in a racy, voluptuous St. Helena Cabernet with soft contours and no hard edges. This is such a gorgeous wine and also a terrific example of St. Helena's Northern Corridor.
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Wine Spectator
This has good energy to match its heft, with a brambly accent amid fleshier plum sauce and boysenberry compote flavors. Apple wood and sassafras accents chime through the finish, along with a note of licorice root, all while the fruit keeps pace. Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2032. 400 cases made.
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.