Winemaker Notes
The color of this cult cab is deep inky purple with dark plum edges. The aromatic entry is very ripe with concentrated sappy cassis and wild huckleberry and blueberry aromas followed by toasted yet integrated vanilla, cigar box and elegant and supple oak spices from cedar to sandalwood. On the palate the wine is refined and complete as it has been aged 26 months in oak and then 6 months or more after bottling. With balanced acidity over integrated oak and grape tannins this wine is deep and ripe with blue fruit notes including cassis and wild huckleberries and juicy blueberries. The texture is supple showing the concentration of the fruit while drawing down onto a finely knit matrix of soft but ever present tannins, sappy oak tannins and silky smooth finish that will age gracefully for decades to come. The mid palate tannins are firm yet the entry is silky soft and transitions seamlessly through the mid palate.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This luxurious, deep and dark wine offers abundant oak spices, dark chocolate and black fruit flavors on a firm and tannic texture. Black figs, blackberries and a hint of black pepper are accented by toast, wood char, cocoa and espresso notes. Age-able, the wine should drink best from 2025–2035.
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James Suckling
Black berry, black olive and blackcurrant aromas and flavors. Dried herbs. Medium-bodied, slightly chewy with a linear and slightly austere tannin texture. Drink now or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The vineyard is off Monticello Road on the way up towards Atlas Peak, and the wines often seem to share some Atlas Peak austerity. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Longhorn Ridge Vineyard Hoffman Block delivers cool, mentholated scents of cassis, plus a hint of sage as well. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated and tannic. It needs time but shows greater concentration and ripe blackberry notes than the 2017. Give it a few years in the cellar.
Rating: 90+
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.