1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The outstanding 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a dark ruby/purple color as well as surprising opulence for a wine from this vintage, admirable elegance, abundant black currant fruit, a dense, chewy mid-palate, a fleshy texture, low acidity, and a tannic finish. It is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon with medium weight, as well as outstanding ripeness, richness, and balance. Drink it over the next 12 years. Tel. (707) 963-4949; Fax (707) 967-8364
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Saturated, bright ruby-blue. Sappy, spicy aromas of cassis, blackberry, blueberry and roast coffee. Powerful mountain-style cabernet, with intense flavors of black fruits, licorice, shoe polish and wintermint, and strong underlying backbone. Here, too, the tannins are less sweet than those of the extraordinary '97 yet coat the entire palate. Not quite as superripe or generous as the '97, but then not many wines are. The harvest in these vines began in the second week of November and ended in early December.