Winemaker Notes
Rich, dynamic and concentrated, the 2018 “Padrone” Cabernet Sauvignon is a striking wine. This vibrant, dense Cabernet is packed with black cherry, red and black currant, plum and blueberry jam. This stunning bouquet is wonderfully nuanced with licorice, menthol, lavender and dark chocolate. Opulent and big bodied, the mid-palate is weighted leading into a vibrant finish of tobacco leaf, herbal tea, and mocha. Deeply textured with exceptional balance, this wine will reveal so much more in the years to come.
Blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fine and well tuned red with blackcurrant, blackberry and hints of orange peel and light chocolate. Some cedar, too. Precise character. It’s full-bodied with well integrated tannins and a fresh finish. This will age nicely, but very attractive to drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Padrone is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 6% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes galloping out of the glass with energetic scents of warm cassis, freshly crushed black cherries, boysenberries and wild sage, plus suggestions of fragrant earth, black truffles and unsmoked cigars with a waft of cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, delivering beautifully ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless freshness to support the intense black fruit and savory layers, finishing long and perfumed.
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Decanter
The nose is distinctly blackcurranty, backed by stylish oak. Sleek and very concentrated, it displays a fine acidic backbone, and skilful oak-ageing gives it gloss and intensity. The finish is long, with a discreet tannic texture. Level-pegging with the 2019 Padrone in terms of quality, but not quite as racy or polished.
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Jeb Dunnuck
More expensive, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Padrone checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This deeper, richer wine reveals a dense purple color, terrific notes of crème de cassis, lead pencil, cedarwood, graphite, and rocky minerality, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's impressive yet is slightly closed and backward. Give bottles 2-4 years of bottle age and it should evolve for 15-20 years or more in cold cellars. It's a beautiful wine.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Blended with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, this estate-grown wine is earthy in compost, with a firmness of tannin. Black cherry, currant and orange rind accent a core of substantial concentration and lingering oak.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and succulent, with crushed plum, boysenberry and raspberry fruit flavors rolling over each other. A melted licorice note follows, along with a savory edge buried on the well-toasted finish, giving it good energy through the finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,140 cases made.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.