Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

wines

A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, the deep purple-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve hits the ground running with the most stunning perfume of crushed black cherries, violets, dark chocolate, licorice and blueberry pie, going on to reveal subtle nuances of cinnamon toast, hoisin, menthol and fragrant underbrush. Full-bodied and oh-so-generously fruited in the mouth, the rich, decadent palate is beautifully lifted with fantastic freshness and powered by super ripe, silt-like tannins, finishing with layer upon layer of long-lingering floral, spice and vibrant berry notes. If "Plumpjack awesome" isn’t a phrase to describe the ultimate in deliciousness, it should be.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPBottled under screw cap, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is certainly a worthy follow-up to the monumental 2015. As pure, seamless, and classy as it gets, with heavenly notes of crème de cassis, white flowers, lead pencil shavings, graphite, and damp rock-like minerality, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, no hard edges, and spectacular length. This is another monumental wine from this team that needs to be tasted to be believed.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is expressive and sensual to the core. The Reserve possesses tons of textural richness and resonance in every dimension. Inky dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, cloves, new leather and licorice are pushed forward. The 2016 is seamless, creamy and exotic, all of which add to its tremendous immediacy and overall appeal.Vinous Media | 97 VM

Gorgeous aromas of blackberries, currants and plums with some spices. Walnuts and chocolate, too. Full-to medium-bodied with very fine tannins and delicious, succulent fruit, as well as hints of herbs. Some stemmy character. So balanced and delicious. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 4% malbec and 1% petite verdot. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Vaso is cut from the same cloth, offering beautiful purity and richness. It’s slightly more pure and darker than the spicier 2017 and has notes of cassis, redcurrants, dark chocolate, tobacco, and violets. Full-bodied on the palate, it has silky tannins, terrific overall balance, and just loads of character and charm. It’s in the running for the greatest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon under $100.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Vaso is a potent, somewhat burly wine. It will need a few years to help the tannins soften. There is plenty of weight and power. Time in the glass helps the aromatics open, but the 2018 is not an easygoing wine from Dana. It needs a bit of time.-Antonio Galloni | 90 AG

Deep ruby-purple, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena offers tones of cassis and blueberries, with slowly emerging accents of dark chocolate, aniseed, vanilla and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, it has lush fruits, a plush, rounded frame and bursts of fresh acidity highlighting its spicy accents on the long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is racy and expressive in the glass. Super-ripe red raspberry, spice, vanillin and a hint of chocolate add a pretty touch of flamboyance to this open-knit, silky Cabernet Sauvignon. Supple and inviting, with no hard edges, the 2018 will drink well right out of the gate. Best of all the 2018 is a fabulous value.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGNicely packed with plum, currant and blackberry purée flavors laced with black licorice and framed by a perfectly integrated alder note. Flash of sweet bay in the background, too. Drink now through 2026. 1,575 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WSWith a sumptuously inviting nose of nutmeg, clove and dark chocolate, this rich wine is blended with 14% Malbec and 2% Merlot. Dusty texture gives in to a core of soft, supple tannins that melt on the palate, finishing with length and breadth.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA very rich, opulent nose with aromas of sandalwood, nougat and grilled plum. It’s full-bodied with a firm tannin structure. Stewed fruit flavors lead to a warm, toffee and chocolate-infused finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JSThe base appellation 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley checks in as 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, and the rest Petit Verdot. Solid mulberry and blackberry fruits as well as ample earthy tobacco and leather notes emerge from the glass, and it’s medium-bodied, with a rounded, elegant texture and ripe, polished tannins. I don’t think it’s going to make old bones, but it should deliver the goods for at least 8-10 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

Dunn’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon shows terrific purity and focus in its aromas of cassis and pencil shavings and on the medium to full-bodied palate, where it’s streamlined and smooth. There’s intensity and concentration, but they sort of slide past almost unnoticed, lubricated by fine-grained tannins and lingering notes of cassis and graphite on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a gorgeous wine, especially for Dunn fans who want a wine to drink that won’t take forever to come around. Dark and savory, with terrific depth, the 2018 is full of character. Black cherry, lavender, chocolate, sage, mint and cloves all open in the glass. The 2018 has just enough grip to have a good amount of classic structure, but not to the point of being forbidding. The Napa Cabernet is about 55% Howell Mountain and 45% Coombsville fruit. The 2018 is beautifully done and an absolute delight.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGWell-endowed, with waves of lightly warmed plum sauce, blackberry preserves and melted black licorice framed by a roasted apple wood note. Flashes of sassafras and sweet bay leaf add alluring range through the muscular finish. Best from 2023 through 2035. 1,814 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The very deep, purple-black colored 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It takes a fair amount of swirling to unlock an incredibly intense nose of dark chocolate, warm cassis, baked plums and Morello cherries plus touches of red roses, violets, pencil shavings, cinnamon stick and dusty soil with a hint of iron ore. The full-bodied palate is so exquisitely elegant, charged with electric black and red fruits and a firm frame of super-ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and very perfumed. This is pure energy in a glass!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP(Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, Red, United States) Blackberry, dried-blueberry, bitter-chocolate and some volcanic-ash and burnt-orange aromas. Crushed stone and subtle vanilla notes, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins framing a deep core of dark fruit. Dense, muscular and firmly structured. So long. Goes on for minutes. Elegance with power. Really love the beautiful refinement and integrity to this. Captures the essence of the vintage. Try from 2025.James Suckling | 99 JSA benchmark for the vintage, thanks to its gorgeous display of warm cassis, mulled plum and macerated blackberry fruit stitched with subtle loam, juniper and bay leaf accents, in a reserved style. Warm earth tones reverberate through the lengthy finish, dovetailing perfectly with the suave fruit. A real beauty. Best from 2023 through 2040. 1,790 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Next up, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is a slightly broader, more expansive wine with textbook notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, Asian spices, loamy soil, camphor, and chocolate. Offering full-bodied richness, a beautiful weightlessness on the palate, and building tannins, this is another gorgeous, seamless, singular wine from this estate that will benefit from short-term cellaring and evolve for 20-25 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2018 Carbone Cabernet Sauvignon is a bright, effusive wine. Sweet red berry fruit, mocha and a whole range of floral/savory aromatics burst from the glass. Medium in body and inviting, the 2018 drinks well now, but it also has the vibrancy to develop nicely in bottle. Carbone is the second wine of Favia.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2018 Gandona is superb. Inky dark fruit, gravel, spice, chocolate, menthol and licorice infuse the 2018 with striking layers of complexity, all with firm mountain tannins that give the wine shape, energy and drive. The 2018 is a real powerhouse. I can’t remember tasting a wine from this property with so much structure and tannin. Readers should plan on giving the 2018 plenty of air. I found the 2018 really only blossomed a number of hours after opening.Vinous Media | 97 VMBased on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 21 months in 60% new French oak, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Gandona is a sexy, powerful red offering lots of chocolatey dark fruits, notes of scorched earth, tobacco, and graphite, full-bodied richness, and a layered, impressively textured mouthfeel. There are only 400 cases produced, but it’s well worth seeking out.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 21 months in French oak, 60% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up gregarious notes of crushed blackberries, ripe black cherries and blackcurrant cordial with hints of mocha, bay leaves and black licorice plus a waft of cedar. Big, concentrated, full-bodied and jam-packed with black fruit flavors, it has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and layered. 400 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is sourced from choice blocks on the Groth family’s Oakville property. A gorgeous, classically built wine, the Reserve is just fabulous today. Dark red-toned fruit, cedar, spice and mocha lend considerable energy as the 2018 gradually opens in the glass. I would be in no rush here.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGThis has the vivid, driven cassis, boysenberry and blackberry fruit of the vintage, but it’s well-harnessed, with streaks of racy anise, alder and sweet bay leaf providing focus and precision. There’s a long echo of iron and savory through the finish as the fruit lingers, leaving a mouthwatering feel. Understated in style compared with its colleagues, but no less complex. Best from 2022 through 2038. 2,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSAromas of ripe blackberries, blueberries, plums, earth, lavender and bark. It’s medium-to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and juicy with a caressing texture and a bright core of spiced fruit. Elegant. Drink from 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSHigh floral intensity with soft mellow plums and cherries, hints of earthy nuances. Soft profile with layers of sweet spices and a herbal finish. (Drink between 2022-2035)Decanter | 91 DEC

Aged 48 months in new barrels, never racked, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time is another singular beauty that tops out my scale. Showing a touch more classy oak as well as complex cassis, crème brûlée, new leather, and sweet tobacco, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, seamless, sexy mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. Despite its four years in barrel, it hasn’t lost any sense of freshness and has vibrancy, purity, and structure. It too will evolve for 20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Deep Time explodes with savory/meaty notes over a core of plum preserves and cassis with hints of tar, black olives, blackberries, and smoked meats. The full-bodied palate is rich and bright, with amazing tension, minerals, and black fruits, finishing long. There’s loads of tertiary goodness here!The Wine Independent | 99 TWIThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time is a selection of barrels from all three single vineyards, held back for extended maturation. This year, the wine aged in wood for 48 months. Marked by typical cigar box aromas, it also delivers plenty of cherries, vanilla and a hint of cassis. It’s full-bodied, rich and undeniably woody, yet still retains ample freshness and length. It reminds me a bit of some Riojas, for its wood presence and elegance, but with more power and fruit weight, like some of Chris RIngland’s long-aged releases of Barossa Shiraz. Idiosyncratic but delicious, it’s another top-class effort from proprietor Jayson Woodbridge.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon West Wall is absolutely gorgeous. It is also remarkably different from the East Elevation. Here the flavors are bright and punchy. Dark red fruit, blood orange, cedar, licorice, spice and tobacco are all beautifully delineated. There is plenty of weight and richness to the 2018, but those elements are so nicely contrasted by the wine’s energy. The 2018 West Wall is fabulous. That’s all there is to it. Antonio Galloni | 96 AG In contrast, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon West Wall offers beautiful purity and freshness in its crème de cassis, cedary spice, lead pencil shavings, violets, and tobacco-like aromas and flavors. These carry to a full-bodied, layered, multi-dimensional Cabernet Sauvignon with building tannins, a solid spine of acidity, and the class to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 years after that. (Drink between 2025-2046)Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDFrom a site up near Calistoga, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon West Wall is pretty standard Napa Cab, but it’s very well done. Cedar notes and hints of dark toast and chocolate frame cherry-scented fruit on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and almost creamy in texture, with a long, gently warm finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPAromas of blackberries, plums, dried herbs, cedar and peppercorns. Walnuts, too. Full-bodied with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Fleshy, with lots of dark-fruit and bitter-cocoa notes. Drink from 2023.James Suckling | 92 JS

A killer wine as well as a smoking value, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon comes all from the estate vineyard outside of St. Helena and spent 20 months in 70% new French oak. Loads of crème de cassis, blueberries, toasted spices, and flowery incense make up the bouquet, and it hits the palate with a ripe, round, sweetly fruited, perfectly balanced style that’s already impossible to resist.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDMade from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 20 months in oak, 70% new. Deep garnet-purple in color, it offers up fragrant notions of minted cassis, blackberry compote and spice cake with suggestions of cardamom and chocolate box. The full-bodied palate is rich and plush, packed with spicy black fruits and finishing with great length. 950 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard starts off with soft-spoken scents of ripe red and black plums, cassis, black raspberries and mulberries, followed by gentle wafts of cedar and pencil lead and finally bursting out with Sichuan pepper and hoisin notes. The medium to full-bodied palate is opulent, plushly textured and brimming with spicy red and blackberry layers, going beautifully perfumed on the long finish. Paul Hobbs mentioned that he backed off on the new oak this year, aging the wine in 85% new French oak (as opposed to 100%). I love this more elegant, nuanced expression a lot. 688 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPAromas of blackberries, currants, violets and black licorice follow through to a full body with chewy, polished tannins that have a tile and dust character and texture. It’s very long and persistent with beauty and intensity. It shows reserve and finesse. This needs at least five years to come around. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is fabulous. Inky, deep and explosive, the 2018 possesses tremendous intensity in all of its dimensions. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of blue/purplish fruit. All the elements are kicked up: fruit, acid and tannin. Readers need to be patient, as the 2018 will require at least a handful of years in bottle to be at its best. The heady, explosive finish points to a very bright future.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGVivid, detailed flavors of cassis, kirsch and fig paste pump along, laced with alder, cocoa and tobacco notes. The fruit melds nicely with a serious tug of warm loam through the finish, giving this a smoldering edge at the very end. Shows nice character. Best from 2022 through 2038. 688 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Philip Togni’s Cabernet Sauvignon is an instant classic in the phenomenal 2018 vintage. Leading with its characteristic black-toned fruit, dusty graphite, green tobacco, and masterfully integrated cedarwood spices, it turns a surprising corner on the palate, leaning into the freshness of the vintage, with a medium-bodied palate and layers of velvety textured red and black fruits intertwined with cigar box, sagebrush, and dried wildflowers.Decanter | 98 DECMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers up intense notes of crushed black currants, fresh blackberries and ripe red plums with hints of pencil lead, black raspberries, underbrush and unsmoked cigars plus a touch of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers bold, crunchy black and red berry layers with a lively backbone and firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and energetic. 1,470 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is sensual and polished. Bright acids lend energy as this super-finessed Cabernet opens in the glass. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, rose petal and mint all open with a bit of coaxing. The 2018 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. It is elegant, nuanced and simply impeccable, but also a bit reticent at this stage. Readers who are familiar with these wines know they need time to come into their own. If that is not possible, I suggest opening it well in advance, even a day or two.Antonio Galloni | 96+ AGThis throwback starts with an expressive mix of savory, menthol and tobacco notes followed by very racy red currant, damson plum and bitter cherry fruit. Licorice root and warm earth accents fill in on the finish, with an iron note piercing through at the end. This is seriously grippy, with an old-school, rugged personality. Not for everyone, but loaded with character. Needs time in the cellar to fully round into form. Best from 2027 through 2040. 1,470 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This structured and concentrated wine is spot on for the vintage. It’s very dense in color and aroma, saturated with ultra dark chocolate, graphite and blueberries on a firm texture of taut tannins that will need time to evolve. Aged in 85 to 90 percent new American oak barrels, the wine should be approachable by 2028 and best from 2033.James Suckling | 97 JSThe lovely ruby red colour is translucent, revealing a heady wine of blackberry, liquorice, vanillin, spicebush, and dried floral notes with savoury, toasty oak spices. This 2018 offers one of the more restrained and pretty bouquets of Silver Oak’s Napa Cabernet in my memory. Very elegant on the entry, revealing a medium-bodied red wine with lovely cranberry fruit, plums, and currants, with a real depth to those fruit qualities framed by sculpted tannins that affix themselves onto the palate before giving way and resolving. Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant with trace amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec. Aged in 85% new American Oak from The Oak Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri, the Duncans have owned it outright since 2015. The other 15% are second-use American oak barrels. They’ve been using the same cooperage for decades. The barrels imbue the Silver Oak wines with a classic vanillin quality, a nuance they always want to retain, even as they experiment with various toasts to produce smoother tannins in the toasting process.Decanter | 95 DEC

Moving to the 2018s, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Calarcadia Vineyard (previously released as just a Cabernet Sauvignon and not a vineyard designate) is pure magic, and lovers of classic Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon should snatch up bottles. Showing the vintage’s more elegant, classic, almost reserved style, it reminds me of a great vintage of Pontet Canet with its deep black and blue fruits, mineral, chocolate, tobacco, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Beautifully textured, full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it’s one for the ages. Hide bottles for a solid 7-8 years, and it should keep for 30+ years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDA powerful, resonant wine, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Calarcadia Vineyard is every bit as impressive as it was last year. A whole range of floral and savory notes lend aromatic intensity. Today, the 2018 is backward and brooding, although time in the glass reveals a complex wine with a very bright future. Sage, tobacco, licorice, menthol and dried herbs are laced throughout a core of dark, plush fruit. The 2018 is stunning. That’s all there is to it.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Calarcadia Vineyard was aged in 100% new French oak for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it features beautifully expressive notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked plums with a fragrant, earthy undercurrent and waft of tar. The palate is full-bodied and chock-full of densely laden black fruits, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and a lively backbone, giving a long, savory finish. 264 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is similarly deep purple-hued and has a killer nose of cr me de cassis, spicy wood tobacco leaf, and graphite. It too is rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, with that classic 2019 broad, expansive, sexy mouthfeel to go with plenty of velvety tannins on the finish. It will evolve for at least two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDSourced from six different Napa Valley vineyards and a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Accendo is a dark, cassis-laden effort tinged with violets and black tea. Full-bodied, rich, velvety and tannic, it shows lovely harmony and structure, ample but not overdone concentration and tremendous length and elegance.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPAccendo’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is every bit as alluring as it was from barrel. Plush and sensual, with no hard edges, the 2019 possesses magnificent balance from start to finish. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and menthol build as this sumptuous, racy Cabernet shows off its tremendous charm. Best of all, the 2019 offers quite a bit of immediacy. I would choose to drink it ahead of some of the more structured recent vintages. As always, the Accendo Cabernet is a blend of several top sites in Napa Valley.Vinous Media | 98 VMTasted with Bart Araujo at Wheeler Farms, the ’Rolls Royce of custom crush facilities’, as described by Accendo winemaker Nigel Kinsman. Bart and wife Daphne established Wheeler Farms after selling their Araujo Estate (now Eisele Vineyard) to the Artemis Group. Grapes are sourced from Vine Hill Ranch, Sleeping Lady in Rutherford, Eco Tone (a former Abreu property), and a site on Diamond Mountain formerly known as Reverie. Generous blackberry fruit aromas are tinged with wild herbs and heady cedar spices. Broad and expansive on the palate with saturated dark fruit, cassis, graphite and wild herbs. Rustic, elongated tannins glide to a savoury finish.Decanter | 98 DECThis delivers a lush yet focused wave of gorgeous loganberry and black currant fruit laced subtly with warm loam, alder smoke and dried bay leaf details. A long cast iron spine drives underneath from start to finish, with the fruit taking an encore alongside a note of violet at the very end. Shows a touch more grip than your typical 2019. Impressive. Best from 2026 through 2040. 848 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is the crown jewel in this year’s collection of Bevan releases. Hints of green coffee bean and sage accent hugely ripe flavors of black cherries and cassis on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is impossibly plush, wonderfully supple and richly textured, leading into a decadently long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon prances out with flamboyant notions of creme de cassis, blueberry compote, and dark chocolate leading to hints of violets, crushed rocks, charcoal, and fragrant soil. The full-bodied palate is so gracefully knit together, with super fine-grained, beautifully ripe tannins and electric tension supporting the vibrant black and blue fruit layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note.The Wine Independent | 99 TWIThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard offers lots of classic Cabernet herbalness and pyrazines in its profile. Blackcurrants, green tobacco, chocolate, cedar pencil, and sappy flower notes give way to a full-bodied, seamless beauty with terrific tannins, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. There’s certainly a greener edge to it, but it handles it nicely, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDAlluring, vivid herbal aromas are tinged with brown baking spices, red berry fruit and new wood cedar. This Cabernet is remarkably plush, with soft, warming flavours of cherry cobbler and overripe plums that turns to blueberry and black cherry. Chocolate hints emerge with tobacco and vanilla. The tannins are so long and seamlessly integrated as if they’re non-existent. This will impress over the long haul.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is silky, precise and nuanced, yet it has all the richness Bevan fans have come to expect. Silky tannins and expressive floral notes seem to coax unreal finesse from the red/purplish berry fruit. All the Dr. Crane characteristics come through in this vivid, arrestingly beautiful Cabernet from Bevan. Best of all, the Dr. Crane is one of the more immediate Cabernets in this lineup.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Flashy, with boysenberry and mulberry pâte de fruit notes that roll through, throwing off licorice snap and açaí berry notes as well. Ends with a high-gloss toasty finish, but the fruit pushes through easily as apple wood and mint notes add range. For fans of the bold style. Drink now through 2040. 23,247 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to unlock notions of blackcurrant pastilles, warm black plums and mulberries, plus hints of black olives, tilled soil, mossy tree bark and violets with emerging baker’s chocolate and star anise hints. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and with impeccable poise, it has beautifully ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing epically long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPDeep, dark and alluring nose of black fruit, rich cedar and cigar box. Well-built, beautiful and balanced, with deeply concentrated, yet fresh and ripe flavours of blackberry, cassis and fleshy plum, unspooling with lifted acidity, tobacco, wet slate, river stones, dark chocolate and an endless finish. A delicious wine that is framed by very fine and elegant tannins, almost powdery. Finishes with energy and freshness. A joy to drink. Biodynamic. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040Decanter | 98 DECGorgeous blackberry and currant aromas with hints of herbs. Wonderfully varietal character. Full-bodied with tannins that frame the wine so nicely and create a long, lightly chewy finish. Fantastic wine. Available in October. Drinkable now, but give it three to four years.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is dazzling. What a wine! Ample and creamy, the 2019 possesses striking resonance to match its elegant, refined personality. A healthy dollop of Franc adds freshness to a core of dark red cherry, red plum, mocha, spice and new leather flavors. There is a level purity here that is just remarkable. This is the first vintage that includes a small portion of wine aged in amphora. I especially admire the aromatic presence and vibrancy in the 2019.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGIncluding 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a hidden gem. While the Maya gets all the attention, the classic Cabernet Sauvignon from this team is insanely good, year-in, year-out. The 2019 sports a dense purple color as well as quintessential Cabernet notes of cassis, black raspberries, flowers, toasted spices, and tobacco leaf. The purity of fruit is incredible, it’s full-bodied, has silky tannins, and flawless balance. It has 30 years of prime drinking ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is very tightly packed, with cassis, bitter plum and loganberry notes compressed along with anise, apple wood, warm humus and sweet tobacco. The earth note echoes nicely through the finish, too. More like an ’18 in profile, with a youthfully backward persona. Cellaring this will yield rewards. Best from 2024 through 2040. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

This is a meaty, powerful wine made in a dense, full-bodied style that possesses underlying grace. Black fruit dominates around a secondary tier of currant, clove and iron, the oak is present and yet behaved and well-integrated. The tannins are lengthy and grippy in their youth. Best enjoyed from 2029–2034.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

I was blown away by the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon DVO, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc made as a collaboration between the team at Dalla Valle and Ornellaia. Remarkable notes of red and black currants, spring flowers, lead pencil, loamy earth, and classy oak all emerge from this young yet amazingly balanced, seamless Cabernet. Full-bodied on the palate and perfectly balanced, with silky tannins, it will probably be as good as it gets with 7-8 years of bottle age and is a magical Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that will evolve for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThis has a tightly layered core of cassis, mulberry and damson plum, while notes of warm earth and a bright iron spine drive underneath. Features a floral flash in the background, as the fruit and iron notes coalesce seamlessly on the finish. Steady as a rock. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2036. 550 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Wonderful aromas of blue fruit, black olives and violets. Lead pencil throughout. Crushed stones, too. Hints of mint and seaweed. Full-bodied with tannins that spread across the palate. It starts off with a bang, with tannins that take you deep into the wine. It’s endless on the finish. It goes on for minutes. Velvet and polished texture. Better after 2026.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is a blend mostly from Meteor. A stunning wine, the 2019 possesses off the charts richness and tremendous depth that just builds with time in the glass. Inky dark fruit, plum, spice, licorice, menthol and crushed berries saturate the palate. The 2019 is one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Don’t miss it.Vinous Media | 98 VMErickson makes some of the greatest wines from the Coombsville appellation, and his 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is a great example of the quality he’s able to achieve. Darker currants, blue fruits, tobacco, lead pencil, and violets notes all define the bouquet, and I always find a certain Saint-Julien-like quality from this appellation, which is present here. Full-bodied, with a great mid-palate, some chocolaty oak, and velvety tannins, this is another rich yet powerful Cabernet Sauvignon that will benefit from just short term-cellaring and cruise for two decades in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDA new addition to the Place de Bordeaux this year - the eponymous project of husband and wife duo; viticulturist Annie Favia and winemaker Andy Erickson. This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville reflecting the gravelly, volcanic terroir and proximity to San Pablo Bay with a minimal interventionist practise. Powerful and expressive nose, extremely aromatic, but feels direct and quite detailed. Juicy and alive, you feel the life pulsing through this wine, it’s got depth of flavour but the texture is light graceful piercing almost with a sharp crisp tang that is so thrilling. The acidity is there giving life and joy to the blackcurrant and berry fruits and this has such detail and nuance in the savoury earthy edges; smoked meats, liquorice, dark chocolate dusting, iodine-soy saltiness, strawberry tang and long finish. Well structured, with balance and elegance and lovely details throughout. So much character here.Decanter | 96 DECAromas of pencil shavings, dried sage and blueberry appear on the nose of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville. All Cabernet Sauvignon blended from three area vineyards, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated, dense and savory. Firmly built, with a couple of decades ahead of it, it’s a super effort.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPDelivers deliciously punchy blackberry, açaí and fig paste enlivened with apple wood, dried anise and warm cast iron notes. This has serious cut and drive through the finish, too, as the fruit sails through. Best from 2023 through 2036. 446 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, heady wine. Even though it was just bottled, the 2019 possesses remarkable textural intensity. A whole range of floral and savory notes open as this statuesque Cabernet shows off its personality. This is an especially rich, bombastic Cabernet from Ric Forman. That is especially evident when tasted next to the 2018.Vinous Media | 97 VMSimilarly hued, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley offers a classic, old school Napa Cabernet nose of darker currants, green tobacco, spring flowers, camphor, and new leather. As with the 2018, it plays in a more medium to full-bodied, elegant style, has ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. The 2019 is more accessible and open than the 2018 and should continue drinking brilliantly for another two decades if stored correctly.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JD

There are only 365 cases of Gandona’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which comes from the property’s terraced parcels. Richer and more concentrated than the Encosta bottling, there’s a bit tighter weave to the wine’s fabric and more room for aging, as well as richly concentrated notes of cassis, dark chocolate and earth. Long, tannic and intense, this should evolve nicely for 20 years or so.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2019 Gandona has wonderful elegance and purity, and the tannin quality is a big step up over the Encosta. Black fruits, graphite, some floral notes, and background oak all make an appearance, and it’s full-bodied, has beautiful purity, silky tannins, and just loads of character. Drink it over the coming 15-20 years, although I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see it evolve longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD