Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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Winemaker Notes
The exceptional 2018 growing season produced a stunning expression of Napa Valley Cabernet, with alluring aromas of black Mission fig, black raspberry, and chocolate, as well as notes of sage, cardamom, crème brûlée, and anise. On the palate, flavors of elderberry, plum, blueberry, red licorice, and violet glide across silky tannins, with bright, balanced acidity contributing to a long, focused finish.
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 0.8% Cabernet Franc, 0.2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Cabernet Sauvignon (84%), Merlot (14%), and Cab Franc (2%) were sourced from the winery’s St. Helena estate vineyard at the base of Spring Mountain. Aged 18 months in (85% new) French oak, this is a woodsy wine, with black olive and herbal accents of sage and dried lavender. Dense and concentrated, elevated and elegant, with a skyscraper-like structure.
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Wine Spectator
This is streamlined in feel despite the obvious power here, thanks to a bright mineral and sanguine spine that courses underneath the mix of plum, cassis and cherry reduction flavors. Roasted applewood note through the finish adds energy. Rock solid. Drink now through 2031.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon brings excellent firmness and depth of fruit onto the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits expressive aromas and flavors of anise, black fruit, and oak. Enjoy it with the cut from a crusted prime rib. (Tasted: May 19, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, dried leaves, cocoa powder, walnuts and peppercorns. Medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins and vivid acidity. Fresh and crunchy with a savory finish. Drink from 2022.
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Wine & Spirits
A burst of red-cherry flavor introduces this clean, fragrant cabernet. There’s nothing superripe or hyperextracted about it. The wine feels fresh and friendly, the tannins expressed in floral hints of beebalm and savory conifer notes to gentle their ferrous structure. It tastes like well-grown cabernet and has the stamina to age.
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Founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976, Duckhorn Vineyards has been crafting classic Napa Valley wines for nearly 40 years. This winemaking tradition has grown to include seven meticulously farmed Estate vineyards, located throughout the various microclimates of the Napa Valley. Focused on quality and consistency, these Estate vineyards are an essential element in making wines of distinction. Pioneering and perfecting Merlot as a premium varietal, Duckhorn Vineyards now makes several elegant Merlot and distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings that showcase its premium vineyard sites. Duckhorn Vineyards has been named one of the “Top 100 Wineries” in the world eight times by Wine & Spirits, and the 2014 Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot Three Palms Vineyard was named the “2017 Wine of the Year,” topping Wine Spectator’s annual list of the world’s “Top 100 Wines.”
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.