2018 Brandlin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

Winemaker Notes:  The 2018 vintage was a long, slightly cool season, devoid of heat spikes and late rains which offered ample hangtime through a glorious autumn for the fruit to mature without losing its underpinning structure and true character. The beauty of this ridgetop vineyard is its ability to produce wines of structure and balance. The 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the essence of Mount Veeder, a beguiling balance of complex, sophisticated aromatics and fruit intensity wed to a core of taut yet silky tannins. Notes of cassis, lingonberry, black cherry, and crushed cocoa come to the fore with hints of violets, thyme, black tea, and kirsch all layer on a bed of velvety tannin.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Wine Enthusiast - "From the producer's high-elevation site, and blended with 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot, this is an earthy and brooding red. Sage, cedar and dark berry fruit combine around polished tannin and notes of crushed rock and dark chocolate, finishing with a tease of spicy clove."


James Suckling - "Lots of ripe black fruit with blackcurrant jam, nutmeg and cedar on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with layers of juicy blackberries and toasty-spice notes, framed by firm, sleek tannins. Dense palate. Try from 2022."


Decanter - "A perfumed, fresh nose filled with violets, lavender, black currants. The palate is plush, dense and precise, finishing with a purity and deftness that is increasingly hard to find in Napa. Impressively ready to drink even at this young stage."