2018 Bledsoe Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Formerly known as the Flying B, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon has the addition of 11% Merlot and 11% Syrah and displays a purple core with a deep magenta rim. Aromas of crème de violette, spiced plum compote, black raspberry syrup and dusty dark cherry waft from the glass with resinous purple flowers, vanilla and brown baking spices. Full-bodied and generously layered, with firm, textured tannins, the palate is grippy with a dusty mineral essence and a frame of ripe fruit flavors and drying black tea essence. The wine should last for years to come and offer a pleasurable drinking experience with cellar age or will be food-friendly now in youth. The wine rested for 20 months in 55% new French oak barrels. This is a big, bold and juicy Cabernet that will need a big rib-eye steak to settle the tannins currently. Almost 22,000 bottles were filled.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% each of Merlot and Syrah that spent 20 months in 55% new barrels, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon offers lots of spiced red and black fruits as well as notes of iron, toasted spice, and sandalwood. Nicely textured and medium-bodied, with both fruit and richness as well as a good sense of elegance, it's ideal for drinking any time over the coming 10-15 years. As Cabernet Sauvignon goes, you'd pay three times the price for the quality if it was from Napa.
Full dark ruby. Inky, brooding aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, licorice, menthol, black pepper and tree bark; shows more of a green edge than Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback wines. Very concentrated, dark and deep, with inky yet surprisingly suave flavors of black fruits, spices, licorice and bitter chocolate. Not a particularly herbal style of Cabernet, ultimately. Finishes with serious dusty tannins and lingering notes of bitter chocolate and black pepper. A bit folded in on itself and tannic in the early going, showing limited sweetness today, but built to age. And very Cabernet Sauvignon! Incidentally, this wine was previously called Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon.