2018 Spottswoode "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine of beauty and bounty. Notes of black cherry, bergamot, red raspberry, and plum encapsulate a sturdy core of powdery tannins and vibrant acidity. Hints of rose and citrus blossom permeate its youthful and primary aromas. This is a wine of great freshness, elegance, and power that will generously reward for years to come.

Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

 One of the wines of the vintage, as well as a legendary Napa Cabernet that will compete with anything out there, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reveals a deep purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of pure crème de cassis and blackberry-scented fruits intermixed with lots tobacco leaf, lead pencil, spice, and hints of flowers. Reminding me of the 2016 with its purity as well as its balance, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, and a blockbuster of a finish. Based on 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, this is a wine you don’t want to miss! It’s going to take 7-8 years to hit its early drinking plateau and cruise for 30-40 years in cold cellars.  (1/2021)

 The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunning, just as it was last year. A dark, ample, brooding Cabernet, the 2018 offers up the essence of black cherry, plum, mocha, spice, graphite, leather and incense. The 2018 has shut down considerably since I tasted it last year. That won't be a problem in a few years' time, but today the 2018 is decidedly brooding. Even so, it shows tremendous finesse and tons of pure breed. It is without question one of the epic, present-day wines for the estate. (AG)  (1/2022)

 Clearly a stupendous effort but just far too young at this stage, Spottswoode's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a concentrated, velvety core of black cherries, cassis and dusty loam, then supports it with hints of cedar and toasted oak. It's full-bodied, rich and youthfully intense, with a long, compelling finish that just won't quit. Give it a few more years, and it may indeed reach the perfection my predecessor predicted for it. (JC) 97+  (9/2022)