In stock

JS 96 WE 94 V 93 WS 93
RPWA 92+ WWOW 92 JD 92 CG 90
AYC 92

Grape Variety
97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec

Winemaker’s Notes:
“A wine of great energy, length, and finesse, 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with floral notes, cedar and pencil shavings followed by ripe blackberry, cassis and red currant jam. A fresh and focused wine with pleasing acid and tannin structure building tension along the palate to a lingering finish.”

Wine Style:
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is bright, punchy and full of energy. Sweet red berry, mocha, licorice, spice, menthol and a kiss of new French oak all grace the 2018. Plummy and pliant, the 2018 will drink well right out of the gate, but it has the pedigree to develop nicely for a number of years. Most of this fruit is sourced from vineyards in the southern end of the valley.”(AG) (1/2021)

• 96 James Suckling

  “Very pretty blackberry, blackcurrant, walnut, forest-flower and dark-walnut aromas follow through to a full body with round, juicy tannins that are fine-grained and beautiful. Lovely length and generosity, but reserved at the finish to give it tension. Mostly from the Soscol vineyard.” (3/2021)

• 94 Wine Enthusiast

  “Velvety thick in caramel, oak and rich layers of dark fruit, this wine offers hints of cedar and dried herb that complement and help to make it more complex. Made in a generous, full-bodied style, it shows heft and depth, the tannins structured and robust.” Virginie Boone (April 2021)

• 93 Vinous

  From the excellent, solar 2018 vintage in Napa. This has dark and ripe berry fruits on the nose – smells rich and vibrant. The texture is soft and smooth on the tongue but there’s an incredible amount of density and depth to the tannins and overall flavor. The mouth is filled with generous and chewy blackcurrant fruit and a menthol freshness that gives an enjoyably cool finish. Round and powerful.” (GH) (7/2021)

• 93 Wine Spectator

  Ripe and lush up front, with waves of cassis, mulled plum and blackberry compote underscored by singed alder and graphite on the finish, adding grip. This is packed and well-built. Best from 2022 through 2032. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. (April 2021)

• 92+ Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

  The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, coming from vineyard locations in south Napa Valley, St. Helena, Oak Knoll District and Stags Leap District. It was aged for 18 months in 40% new (51% American, 49% French) and 60% one- to two-year-old French and American oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it does pirouettes out of the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, wild blueberries and ripe blackcurrants plus hints of lilacs, menthol, forest floor and pencil shavings with a touch of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate is as intense as it is elegant, featuring layers of fresh black and blue fruits and gentle herbal accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and minerally. 36,000 cases were made. (6th November 2020)

• 92 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

  COMMENTARY: The 2018 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon brings richness and firmness to the fore and stays steady through the wine’s finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits focused aromas and flavors of black fruit and graphite, with a hint of oak. Enjoy it with lightly-seasoned, grilled short ribs. (Tasted: August 22, 2020, San Francisco, CA)

• 92 Jeb Dunnuck

  The larger production 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley shows the vintage nicely and has a classic, balanced, medium to full-bodied style that offers textbook Cabernet Sauvignon notes of crème de cassis, smoke tobacco, damp earth, and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied and nicely concentrated, this is a young, relatively unevolved, yet beautifully balanced 2018 that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years. (Tasted: January 2021)

• 90 Connoisseurs' Guide

  Marked by very careful making as much as it is by the deep and incisive, blackcurrant fruit of authentic Cabernet Sauvignon with a discreet complement of neatly placed oak lending a boost in overall richness without ever challenging that fruit, this balanced, moderately full-bodied wine stays in frame from beginning to end with integrated tannins providing a nice, not overbearing, bit of ageworthy grip. Expect a fairly long life, a good ten years without fail, but its already evident polish suggests that it will be hard to resist in half that time. (Tasted: January 2021)

• 92 Anthocyanes - Y. Castaing