2018 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is up-front and approachable, with lush blackberry and cassis fruit as well as tobacco and some graphite notes. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum on the palate, it has velvety yet certainly present tannins, plenty of baby fat, terrific overall balance, and a great finish. Displaying more floral and violet notes with time in the glass, I suspect this beautiful, elegant 2018 will have two decades of longevity.

I have one issue with this wine...it might just be too good for the money! I mean that truthfully. Considering this is Etude's Napa Valley appellation level bottling that sits at less than half the price of their $155 Coombsville, Rutherford and Oakville bottlings...this wine is just as serious, just as age worthy...simply, just as good! At $75 from Napa many folks might be expecting a fruit-forward, pop-n-pour, easy drinking Cab - this wine is far more potent than that. It has structure and focus more akin to a young Paulliac with lifted aromas of lavender, split cedar, crème de cassis, pencil shavings, and unsmoked cigar. The palate is at once powerful and dense but also refined and linear. Fine grained tannins and vibrant freshness; there's not much excess weight here, this wine shows the true brilliance of the 2018 vintage which myself and many others in the business believe to be one of the all-time-great vintages in Napa Valley especially where ageing potential is concerned. Simply put this is a very, very good bottle of Napa Cab that deserves the consideration and respect that is more likely to be given to much more expensive bottles. I have a daughter who was born in 2018 and I have some of this laid down in my personal cellar that will cruise to her 21st birthday and likely far beyond. If you prefer drinking your wines young this certainly isn't harsh or abrasive, just make sure you give it a few hours in a decanter and treat it to your best Bordeaux stemware. I know it's a relatively affordable Napa Cab, but believe me, this wine is drinking way above its own league!