94 Points - Wine Independent
93+ Points - Wine Advocate
93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
92 Points - James Suckling
This wine very approachable now, and has plenty of depth, structure, and complexity to lay down for another 5-8 years. Only a few hundred cases EVER MADE and we have just enough to share with you today. While it lasts!
Food pairings include hard cheeses, charcuterie, lamb sliders, risotto with wild mushrooms, pan-seared duck with cherry sauce, slow-roasted prime rib, chocolate truffle.
WINEMAKER
Since 1988 Heidi Peterson Barrett has had an impressive client list of ultra-premium wineries to her name, over 2 dozen in total. Past winemaking clients include Screaming Eagle (14 years, 1992 and 1997 vintages garnered another set of perfect 100’s from Parker. And a 6-liter bottle of the '92 Screaming Eagle set a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine $500,000 at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction.)
Other projects include Dalla Valle (8 years), Jones Family (12 years), Grace Family (6 years), Vineyard 29 (6 years), David Arthur, Barbour Vineyards (15 years), Revana (10 years), Showket (12 years), Kenzo Estate (20 years), Paradigm (32 years), and Lamborn (25 years).
VINTAGE
The 2018 Napa Valley vintage belongs in an echelon with the finest of the past two decades. In terms of weather, "slow" and "easy" were consistent descriptors for this vintage.
APPELLATION: Napa Valley
VARIETAL: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, 2% Cab Franc
HARVEST DATES: Sept 17, 19, 27, and Oct 20, 2018
AGING: 100% French oak barrels. 45% new, 22 months, variety of coopers and barrel ages
BOTTLING DATE: June 23, 2020
RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2022
TA: 6.1 g/L
pH: 3.72
ALCOHOL: 15.1%
You may also like:
93 Points
Lovely aromas of crushed blueberry, red and blue plum, dried violet flower. It's juicy and engaging, with smoked red raspberry, wild blackberry, hoisin, sweet backing spices coursing through, and offers balance and depth with perfect levels of acidity with silky tannins leading to a long engaging finish.
94 Points
Golden lemon core with a silvery rim, it's full-bodied, plush on the tongue, and delivers phenomenal purity of fruit on the front and mid-palate. Notes of baked lemon pie, Bartlett pear, lemony herbs, and crushed wet rock are everpresent, with balanced acidity and a dried thyme aspect hitting the lengthy finish.
93 Points
Dark fruit with blueberry fruit aromas and notes of mocha and cassis. The texture is silky, rich and mouth-filling with berry pie, black tea, exotic spice and notes of chocolate fudge on the palate. Fine grain tannins lengthen the finish with dark fruit flavors mingling with just a hint of mint.