2018 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville shows just how fabulous wines from this cooler corner of Napa can be. Loaded with dark fruit—blueberries and cassis—it's accented by scents of pencil shavings, faintly herbal notes and perhaps a hint of black olives. This terrific effort is medium to full-bodied and concentrated, silky but dense, long and elegant. It's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon blended from the Meteor, Rabbit Hole and Collinetta vineyards.

Starting with the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville, this 100% Cabernet comes from the southern, cooler end of the valley and was brought up in a mix of new and used French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by a gorgeous perfume of cassis, candied violets, toasted spices, tobacco, and lead pencil-like nuances. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated 2018 that offers flawless balance, building, ripe, seamless tannins, and a great finish. Very much in the more elegant, streamlined style of the vintage, it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for 20-30 years or more.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville, shows why Coombsville is so magical. Deep and inky, but with striking gorgeous freshness, the Coombsville Cabernet is dazzling. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, sweet spice and licorice infuse the 2018 with fabulous depth as well as complexity. Even with all of its natural exuberance, the 2018 remains light on its feet. The 2018 has really blossomed over the last year, as I thought it would. This is a fabulous showing.