2018 Prime Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

Fresh blackcurrant, blackberry leaf, cedar and praline on the nose. Gravel and licorice, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, ultra fine tannins. Starts off rather rich and intense, yet remains fresh and vivid. Try from 2022.

A sub-$55 Coombsville Napa Cab with big write ups from multiple top critics isn't something you see everyday! This relatively new AVA in the cooler south eastern hills of Napa produces very intense, vibrant Cabernet due to the area's big diurnal swings in temperature from cool morning fog. This region is now a core component of many cult Cabernets from Realm, Paul Hobbs, Purlieu, Meteor and many others. The winemaker behind this label has a track record that long pre-dates the creation the AVA itself! Napa Valley veteran winemaker Ted Henry's resume includes seven years at Jarvis, six years at Clos Du Val and most recently he has taken over as Director of Winegrowing at Groth. Safe to say this guy knows his stuff when it comes to growing grapes and crafting wine. The wine is very bright and forward in the glass; bright cassis, blackberry, cedar, crushed rock, new leather. Powerful, but agile, no over the top sweetness or clumsy extraction here. Very pure and refined. Because it's so vibrant and energized it could be easy to miss the ageing potential here...but I think this could be a sleeper for 10-15 years in the cellar too. I didn't know this label before tasting this wine, but they're sure on my radar now!