Napa Valley’s 2018sComing from two estate vineyards consisting of pure volcanic soils, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District sports deep purple/ruby color to go with a brilliant, full-bodied, seamless wine that’s going to flirt with perfection at maturity. Blackcurrants, chocolate, loamy earth, tobacco, and violet notes define the bouquet, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a voluptuous, layered mouthfeel, ample tannins, and a great finish. This is another magical, mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from this estate that needs a good 4-5 years of bottle age, if not more, and will cruise for decades in cold cellars.

Napa Valley’s 2018sA blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot, the 2018 Cabernet Franc is a beautifully elegant, seamless expression of the variety that I’d be happy to have in the cellar. Offering lots of red and blue fruits, camphor, flowers, and spice, it has a beautiful, seamless, medium to full-bodied style that keeps you coming back to the glass. This is one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass, and while it’s not a blockbuster, it has flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and fabulous length. Count me impressed – this is the finest example of this cuvée to date.

Napa Valley’s 2018sLots of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as classic Mount Veeder notes of lavender, violets, bouquet garni, and rocky, mineral-like notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, full-bodied mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a plush, layered texture, beautiful tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and a great finish. Another head-turning wine from this label, it’s a candidate for the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon out there at the price point.

Napa Valley’s 2018sAnother beautiful wine in this lineup is the 2018 Cabernet Franc, which is 100% varietal and spent 22 months in 80% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a rich, full-bodied, incredibly layered 2018 offering beautiful cassis and mulberry fruit, notes of tobacco, dried flowers, and chocolate, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. This remarkable 2018 should be snatched up by readers, as it represents a smoking value!

Napa Valley’s 2018sComing from a single vineyard on Howell Mountain, the 2018 Merlot W.S. Keyes is a blockbuster effort that offers an awesome bouquet of blackcurrants, mulled black cherries, tobacco, graphite, scorched earth, blood orange, and violets. One of the finest examples of the variety in the vintage, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, silky tannins, and a great finish. Reminding me of a great Pomerol with its incredible elegance paired with a building sense of power and depth, this is going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age (I’d happily drink a bottle today) and cruise in cold cellars for 20-25 years or more.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe first vintage for this new cuvée, the 2018 Proprietary Red Blend checks in as 41% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot. Red and blue fruits, scorched earth, spring flowers, and violets emerge from this medium to full-bodied 2018, which is reminiscent of a top Saint-Emilion given its terrific sense of minerality. Medium to full-bodied and just brilliantly put together on the palate, it shows the purity of fruit that is the hallmark of this great vintage. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 15-20 years.

Napa Valley’s 2018sPretty, exotic candied orange and floral notes emerge from the 2018 Merlot, which is medium to full-bodied and has a juicy, elegant texture, moderate, nicely integrated tannins, and just a charming, undeniably delicious style. It builds nicely with time in the glass and shows the more pure, elegant, seamless profile of the vintage yet still brings plenty of fruit. It’s ideal for enjoying over the coming decade.

Napa Valley’s 2018sAll varietal, the 2018 Malbec is terrific and well worth seeking out. Sporting a dense purple color as well as impressive notes of spiced red and blue fruits, violets, toasted bread, and herbes de Provence-like nuances, it’s medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, mouthfilling texture, and enough velvety tannins to keep it showing well for over a decade.

Napa Valley’s 2018sIn general, 2018 was a great vintage for this variety, and the deep purple-hued 2018 Merlot is stunning stuff. Lots of cassis, candied violets, scorched earth, and graphite notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, elegant 2018 with polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s going to evolve for 15 years or more.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon shows its Howell Mountain terroir nicely yet still has a supple, textured, elegant style that gives it plenty of upfront appeal. Beautiful cassis and darker currants, chocolate, tobacco, and cedar pencil notes emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with present yet silky tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish, where it shows more and more tannins with time in the glass. It can be drunk today with plenty of pleasure, but smart money is on giving bottles 2-4 years of bottle age and following for 10-15.

Napa Valley’s 2018sMade by Gianna Kelly, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Pleinair comes from a handful of vineyards and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 65% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a rich, concentrated, nicely balanced 2018 with loads of ripe dark fruit, chocolate, and tobacco aromatics, medium to full body, a solid spine of acidity, and just wonderful overall balance and purity, which is the hallmark of this great vintage. Building nicely with time in the glass, it shines for its balance, elegance, and purity more so than sheer power, and it’s already a joy to drink. Nevertheless, it should easily evolve for 15-20 years. This smoking value is well worth seeking out.

Napa Valley’s 2018sLastly, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is another backward, brooding wine that’s going to need bottle age. Dark chocolate, graphite, wood smoke, violets, and lead pencil notes as well as ample red and black fruits dominate the bouquet, and it’s rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, with ripe tannins and a big, rich, chewy finish. This is classic Howell Mountain Cabernet, with serious tannins, yet ample mid-palate depth and length. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe 2018 Cabernet Franc is all varietal and offers a rich, medium to full-bodied style with plenty of dark, chocolately fruit as well as notes of tobacco, leafy herbs, and graphite. It has some upfront appeal, with beautiful fruit, but there are ample mountain tannins, and it’s going to benefit from a solid 2-4 years of bottle age.

Napa Valley’s 2018sYou don’t see many Chardonnays from Howell Mountain, but don’t let that stop you, the 2018 Chardonnay W.S. Keyes Vineyard is terrific and well worth seeking out. Revealing a medium/lighter gold hue as well as an exotic nose of orange blossom, melon, honeysuckle, and white flowers, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a textured, rounded mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish. This rich, textured Chardonnay stays nicely balanced and is certainly a joy to drink. It picks up a touch of hazelnut on the finish with time in the glass and should drink nicely for 4-5 years.

This deep purple colored Merlot from Howell Mountain opens with a musty blackberry jam and black plum bouquet with hints of black cherry, graphite, black tea leaves and dark chocolate. On the palate, this wine is full bodied with medium acidity. It is nicely balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty red currant and black raspberry blend with notes of crushed stone and a hint of anise. The finish is dry and its tannins build-up and stick around for quite some time. The Panel would pair this Merlot with a porterhouse steak or braised short ribs.

Napa Valley’s 2018sAlways one of the standouts from Carpenter, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is another flat-out awesome wine that couldn’t be better. Revealing a dense purple color as well as extraordinary notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, mountain scrub brush, graphite, violets, and cedar pencil, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, layers of ripe, seamless tannins (it’s a mountain Cabernet), a beautiful sense of freshness, and a great, great finish. This is one for the ages. It needs 7-8 years of bottle age, but it will be one of the great Napa Cabernets over the following 50 years or more.

What To Drink Now: Wonderful Willamette ValleySiduri Winery’s Willamette Valley Pinot Noir enjoys 15% whole cluster fermentation, giving a freshness to the earthy, forest floor and wild herb-filled wine. Marry those flavors with red plum, cranberry, and dried herb for a savory selection ideal with anything from roast chicken or pork tenderloin, grilled salmon, or mushroom risotto.

Pale straw colour with some green notes in the rim. Roast nuts, lemon balm and a whiff of struck-flint. Tight and driven on the palate, a bright citrus core flows front to back, with a smoke and mineral savoury line alongside. Quite narrow along the palate but walks the line of tight and skinny very well showing enough weight and concentration through to the finish. A lovely modern example of Yarra Valley chardonnay.

This Oregon white is an impressive New World-style chardonnay that shows that Oregon producers can do for chardonnay what they’ve done with pinot noir.In this, the Willakenzie estate chardonnay isn’t too ripe or too oaky, as might be expected from a similar California product. Look for green apple fruit and some lemon zest, more minerality than I expected in a New World charrdonnay, and even some brioche and yeastiness for those of you who want noticeable oak. The wine should become rounder and more full as it ages; it’s ready now, but will likely be that much better with a couple of more years in the bottle.

Deep purple color. Enticing and complex aromatic display of tobacco, eucalyptus, mint, rosemary and smoky pencil lead over top of tangy black and red currants. Full-bodied, fresh acid with structured tannins with rounded edges. Black currants and roasted fig fruit blend well with complex violets, tilled soil, leather and cigar shop, with coffee and cedar woven in well. Solid concentration but stays lively as well. This needs air or time or both, but it’s a beauty and brings a ton to the table for the price point. 100% Sangiovese.

Medium purple color. On the nose, I get tangy red and black currants, roasted figs, juicy and deep, laced with violets, tobacco, inviting earth and clove. Full and suave on the palate, moderate acidity, with bold plum and currant fruit that is juicy but maintains a tangy edge. Laced with cocoa, charcoal, tobacco, mint and menthol. Complex earth and floral tones will continue to come out with time. Really solid value here. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

A small-batch bottling intended as the ultimate expression of the Fijnbosch property. This is all about power – golden in colour, the nose is quite advanced showing marmalade, honey, a particular waxy note plus oak spice while the palate is rich and round, thick textured with tangy acidity lending balance. Makes a huge statement.

40% Fijnbosch, 27% Nooitgedacht, 17% Robertson, 8% Kaaimansgat and 8% Klein Karoo. Matured for 10 months in French oak, 40% new. An exotic nose with citrus, pineapple, vanilla and spice plus leesy complexity. The palate is rich and full – lots of dense fruit to go with vibrant acidity, the finish long and dry. Available in the US at $80 a bottle.

Predominantly from own Fijnbosch grapes plus small portion from Helderberg property Nooitgedacht. A subtle nose with a top note of blossom before pear, citrus, some leesy complexity and vanilla. Quite light-bodied and vivacious relative to its stablemates with bright acidity and savoury finish. Archetypal modern Chardonnay.

Wine of the Day: Gran Moraine Yamhill-Carlton Pinot NoirJuicy and fresh, Gran Moraine Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir layers red cherry, crushed raspberry, wild strawberry, and pomegranate with touches of black tea, mocha, and purple wildflowers, finishing with touches of star anise and nutmeg.