2018 Evidence "Immaculate Vineyard" Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

With 21% Cabernet Franc, this is a stunning, elegant wine from the cooler appellation, aged two years in French oak. Earthy sage and dried herb meet a balanced layer of crisp red fruit and restrained tannin, a touch of clove persistent on the lengthy finish. (VB)

If you're curious why Coombsville has become one of Napa's most sought after and hyped AVAs in recent years this wine will illustrate exactly why! Jason Court brings all of his knowledge and experience making high-end cult Cabernet to bear here with a textbook, benchmark Coombsville Cab. This part of the valley, in the very south eastern corner, get lots of cold wind from San Pablo just a few miles south. This region is also consistently foggy until late morning that really elongates the growing season and amplifies the flavor intensity in the fruit. The soils here are volcanic gravels broken down from the Vaca Mountains to the east. These soils seem to lend a powerful minerality to the wines that is something of a signature of the terroir. Personally I love how the wines from Coombsville express lots of true varietal character, the "Cabernet-ness" isn't ripened out of the grapes, they embraces the cigar box, camphor, cedar elements that inform the wines of Bordeaux. At the same time there's the unmistakable power and opulence of Napa Valley. The 2021 Immaculate Vineyard Cab is redolent with smoky spices, mulbery, blackcurrant, briar patch, hot stone, and graphite. Elements of tobacco leaf and leather mingle with the torrent of muscular dark fruit. Exotic oak spices adds another dimension and structural definition. A very powerful wine that will no doubt age 20-30 years. Bold, concentrated and youthfully tense. A very serious wine that's up there with the best of the vintage including many that are significantly more expensive from the very same neighborhood. Enjoyable now with a good hour in the decanter and a standing rib roast or bone-in-ribeye, but will continue to improve for 5-10 years at least and will probably see 2050 in good shape.