Winemaker Notes
The warm growing season gave this wine it’s rich and dark character. The nose is filled with black cherry, blackberry, cassis, and fig, which is perfectly complimented by the classic PlumpJack sage and mint. The palate is silky upon entry and opens up to juicy blackberry and black cherry. The balanced acid and well-integrated tannin give this wine energy and length and leads to a beautiful raspberry and spice finish.
Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the two Cabernet releases, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is based on 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec and the rest Petit Verdot, all from Oakville fruit. Promising yet restrained notes of ripe currants, tobacco leaf, sharpened #2 pencils, and chocolate give way to a full-bodied Cabernet that has sweet tannins, a layered, elegant texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This rich, concentrated 2018 can be drunk today with ample pleasure or cellared for 15-20 years or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate displays a deep garnet-purple color and fragrant notes of Black Forest cake, crème de cassis and wild blueberries with nuances of red roses, Chinese five spice, camphor and black olive plus a hint of charcoal. Full-bodied, the decadently rich fruit has impressive freshness lifting the palate along with firm, finely grained tannins, finishing long and fragrant.
Rating: 94+
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Wine Spectator
Very rich, with cassis, boysenberry and blackberry flavors gushing through. Refined along the edges, with fine-grained structure and subtle notes of loam, mint and sassafras chiming in. The vivid fruit easily keeps the upper hand through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2035.
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.