Black currant, Morello cherry and just-ripe black mission fig dance with the aromas of sage, candied violets, star anise and black truffle. The palate is dense and compact with incredible structure. Layers of complex black and red fruit fill the mouth, while sandalwood, bay, graphite and forest aromatics linger with the velvety tannins on the long and dynamic finish. This is a showstopper!

Winemaking during the 2018 vintage was like riding a wave on a surfboard. It started out slowly and smoothly, with excitement building as our chardonnay, viognier and syrah lots ripened steadily and sequentially throughout the month of September. Rather suddenly though, we realized that perfect ripening conditions during September and October were creating a compressed harvest season for our cabernet, merlot and cabernet franc grapes, all of which were ready to be picked at nearly the same time. Our wine team worked virtually round-the-clock from October 3rd to November 6th to bring in 27 gorgeous cabernet lots including stellar fruit from several younger blocks that were replanted in 2013-2014. The wines across the board were lush, round, dense and delicious. A year later as we assembled our blends it was actually hard to find blends that we didn't like, but in this incarnation of our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, we are proud to share with you our absolute favorite.

Updated notes from July 2022: 

Like the 2018 Cabernet Franc, this wine is all about opulence and mouth-coating richness. Initially expressing black currant, morello cherry, just-ripe fig, sage and black truffle, its flavors have evolved into vibrant ripe black fruit, toasted anise seed, tapenade and rose oil. The aromatics are delightful, the palate lush and round.  This is flat-out irresistible cabernet just entering its perfect drinking window.