TOR Tierra Roja Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Connoisseurs'
Guide -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Tierra Roja shows more red fruits that the other vineyard designated Cabernets in 2018 but for this vineyard that is typical. This year though the black fruit component is a very black fruit profile with blackberries, brisket bark and road tar. As always the tannin profile is quite sweet and supple. This is probably one of the most seamless Tierra Rojas we have made and should have an accordingly long life with good storage.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A red with richness and density, offering plum and berry with tile and mahogany undertones. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins and a flavorful finish. More opulent and plusher style to it, as always. Try after 2024.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Another Oakville Cabernet, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tierra Roja Vineyard offers a spicy, complex nose of baked black cherries, plums, currants, bay leaf, sandalwood, and chocolate. This spicy, complex, savory Cabernet is full-bodied and has a wonderfully textured, seamless mouthfeel, present tannins, and a good finish. It's already a joy to drink yet is going to evolve for 20 years or more given its overall balance.
-
Connoisseurs' Guide
A lovely example of the fruity depth and beauty to be found in the very best Oakville Cabernets, the 2018 Tierra Roja is a deep and marvelously rich wine that, even though very expressive right now, has the structure and hard-to-miss energy of one that will age and age. It never trades on extraneous ripeness and is both moderately tannic and yet slightly supple at one and the same time, and, as admittedly as attractive as it may be at the moment, it, like any upper-echelon Cabernet Sauvignon, wants for bottle age to come fully into its own. We are wholly confident of its ability to show ever more refinement and interest a decade from now. It is that good.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The four-acre hillside Tierra Roja vineyard is located on the opposite side of the Silverado Trail from the Oakville Cross Road. The vineyard is dotted with big rocks, and the soil is roja (very red). The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tierra Roja Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color, bursting from the glass with notes of red currant jelly, kirsch, blackberry pie and wild blueberries with suggestions of wild sage, potpourri, tobacco leaf and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is softly textured and refreshing, delivering bags of red and black berry flavors and finishing with a lively herbal lift.
Rating: 93+
Other Vintages
2019-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong
-
James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong -
Tasting
Panel -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
-
Wilfred
Wong -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
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.