2018 Stonestreet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is blended with 1.5% Petit Verdot and matured for 20 months in 35% new oak. It's bursting with gregarious blackcurrant, blueberry, mint chocolate and lilac plus touches of cigar ash, licorice and coffee beans. The medium-bodied palate is light on its feet despite its deep core of perfumed fruit, with a frame of grainy tannins and juicy acidity that calls you in for another sip. This is wonderfully easy to drink despite offering plenty of complexity.

94 points The Wine Advocate

Here's one for the Stonestreet.

Stonestreet Estate is one of California's great mountain wine estates, established by the Jackson family on the rugged slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking Alexander Valley. With vineyards ranging from valley floor sites to elevations above 700 metres, the estate is renowned for producing Cabernet Sauvignon of exceptional concentration, freshness and complexity that faithfully reflects its dramatic mountain terroir.

The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a mosaic of high elevation vineyard blocks, where volcanic soils, cool nights and abundant sunshine create fruit of remarkable intensity and balance. The superb 2018 vintage allowed slow, even ripening, delivering a Cabernet that combines mountain power with elegance and precision.

The colour is an inky deep ruby with youthful purple highlights. Aromas of cassis, blackberry and black cherry unfold alongside graphite, cedar, crushed violet and subtle baking spice. The palate is rich yet beautifully composed, layering concentrated black fruits over polished tannins and vibrant acidity. Notes of dark chocolate, tobacco leaf and mountain herbs build through the mid palate, while the finish is long, savoury and finely structured.

A magnificent partner for dry aged rib eye, slow braised beef short ribs, roast venison or wild mushroom pithivier with black truffle. Drinking superbly with a generous decant, this mountain Cabernet will continue to reward careful cellaring for another fifteen to twenty years.