Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Crossroads Cabernet Sauvignon will be your confidante, companion, better yet, your new best friend. The aromas of this wine are familiar, notes of bay laurel that remind you of making homemade tomato sauce or the sweet baked spices of mixed berry pies. On the palate, you find a balance of freshness and complexity. At first taste, you are hit with freshly picked blackberries that are warm, juicy, and satisfying, followed up by an earthy and irony tannin presence that is approachable, and reminds you of the red dirt it comes from as it lingers on the finish.
Whether you are enjoying this wine with your family pizza night or on an evening stroll as the sun is setting, you will never be disappointed.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Offers a ripe and zesty mix of bramble, plum paste, raspberry reduction and melted black licorice notes all swirling around together, backed by apple wood and sassafras accents through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2034.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Crossroads by Rudd was aged mainly in French oak barrels (34% new) with 4% aged in amphora. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with notions of baked black cherries, boysenberries and warm cassis with hints of tar, tobacco and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of juicy black fruit preserves with a plush texture and plenty of freshness, finishing with a lively herbal lift.
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.