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2018 Napa Valley Estate Élu

  • 2018
    94
    94
    92
    92

$90.00

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Tasting Notes

Black plum, juicy blackberry and black olive are threaded with anise, graphite, and vanillin from the toasted barrel. Flavors of dried black plum and blackberry are complimented with a hint of black licorice. The wine has a freshness to it with texture and a graceful, fine grain tannin.

Technical Note

Winemaking

The fruit was hand-harvested in the cool morning hours and brought to the winery in half-ton bins. At the winery, the clusters were sorted using a double sorting system. First, the clusters were sorted by hand. The fruit then ran through a small destemmer removing stems from the grapes before the individual berries being sorted to ensure the ideal grapes were selected. These berries were delivered to a fermenter where there was a period of resting on skins. Warm fermentation temperatures were encouraged along with gentle cap maceration to achieve the desired color and structure for the wine before an extended maceration time on skins prior to final pressing. The wine was transferred directly to barrel for 20 months of maturation.

Accolades

94 Points, James Suckling – Lots of blackberry, earth and spice, such as cloves, on the nose. Violets, too. It’s full-bodied with very fine tannins that give the wine form and firmness. Fine tannins at the end. – J.S.

94 Points, Wine Enthusiast – Inviting chocolate, cinnamon and cedar fill the aroma of this full-bodied and moderately tannic wine before a generous dose of black cherries, mint and dark chocolate coat the palate. The wine is so tempting now for its complexity and richness. – J.G.

92 Points, Decanter – A Cabernet dominant blend with excellent concentration and alluring aromatics of blue fruits, spice, and smoked cedar plank. A dense core of dark fruit, ember, clove, cinnamon and mocha powder marks the palate’s intensity. Balanced by bright acidity and ample structure. – C.P.

92 Points, The Wine Independent – Deep garnet-purple in color, it features expressive scents of blackcurrant preserves, black cherry compote, and prunes followed by hints of fallen leaves and dried lavender. The full-bodied palate maintains vitality and vibrancy, with bags of expressive black fruits and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and with lovely purity. – L.P-B.

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