Estimate
A barrel selection of the best of the vintage... ...scents of crème de cassis, baked plums and boysenberries plus nuances of tar, licorice, Indian spices and unsmoked cigars with a waft of pencil lead. This is big, rich and full-bodied, while the palate is powerful and has bags of energy, delivering impressive tension and firm, grainy tannins, finishing with fantastic length and many, many layers. It's an absolute Napa Cab powerhouse that should easily cellar for 40 years or more. (11/2020)
...outrageously beautiful wine that captures all the best the vintage has to offer. Dark, pliant and mysterious, the Black Magic is ravishing right out of the bottle. Black cherry, chocolate, licorice, spice, espresso infuse the 2018 with tremendous character. Most of this fruit is sourced from choice blocks at Vine Hill Ranch, with a dollop of fruit from another highly regarded site blended in for complexity. As for the wine itself, well it is unreal. Wow!
...saturated purple color and notes of blueberries, cassis, white flowers, candied violets, graphite, smoked tobacco, and chocolate. Full-bodied and powerful, yet built like high fashion with sensational elegance, it has flawless tannins, perfect balance, and a gorgeous finish that keeps you coming back to the glass.