96 POINTS
1 1

2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum

2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum

The Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is handcrafted with grapes from unique benchland vineyards representing the major sub-appellations of Napa Valley. Sure to continue gaining complexity an...

The Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is handcrafted with grapes from unique benchland vineyards representing the major sub-appellations of Napa Valley. Sure to continue gaining complexity and revealing additional character with age, the wine is suitable for immediate enjoyment or cellaring for another two decades.

Napa Valley1.5 L14.5
$250.00
$250.00

Are you a Wine Club Member?

Login or Sign up to receive 15% off your order & more!

Specifications

  • Vintage: 2018
  • Region: Napa Valley
  • Appelation: Napa Valley
  • ABV: 14.5
  • Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting Notes

Beautiful and expressive, this delicious Cabernet Sauvignon is loaded with perfumed ripe dark berries and bold, plush flavors, and texture. Layers of blackberry, cherry kirsch, dark plum, black currant, and cassis unfold alongside baking spice notes of vanilla, clove, and cinnamon, which complement delicate hints of cedar and oak spice (a nod to the well-integrated oak). With velvety-rich tannins, and a long, concentrated finish, exhibiting depth and balance, this is an attractive and inviting Cabernet. Perfect for sipping upon release and can age gracefully if cellared properly for many years to come.

View full details

Expert reviews

96 POINTS

“Loads of blackberry, currant and dark-berry aromas follow through to a full body with chewy tannins and a long ,fine finish. This is very attractive, balanced and delicious now, but will gain from two or three years of cellaring. Try after 2024.” - James Suckling, December 6 2021

93 POINTS

“Etude's blended 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley skews toward bench-land vineyards from Rutherford and further south (Oakville, Coombsville). The nose features a gently lifted quality, blackberries and cassis underscored by dark chocolate. Full-bodied and sturdy, framed by firm tannins, this is not a wimpy, generic blend but a rich wine with some aging potential, finishing velvety and long.” - Joe Czerwinski, June 2022

94 POINTS

“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is up-front and approachable, with lush blackberry and cassis fruit as well as tobacco and some graphite notes. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum on the palate, it has velvety yet certainly present tannins, plenty of baby fat, terrific overall balance, and a great finish. Displaying more floral and violet notes with time in the glass, I suspect this beautiful, elegant 2018 will have two decades of longevity.” - Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, May 4, 2022

Napa Valley Vineyards

The Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is handcrafted with grapes from unique benchland vineyards representing the major sub-appellations of Napa Valley. The 2018 Cabernet was sourced with fruit from some of the most highly regarded winegrowers in Napa Valley—Vine Hill Ranch and Gamble Vineyards in Oakville, Bear Flats Vineyard in Calistoga, Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford, Bale Lane Vineyard in St. Helena, and Meteor Vineyard in Coombsville, while the Petit Verdot is from Perata Vineyard in Yountville. By deliberately sourcing fruit from this group of exemplary vineyards, this wine exhibits the full potential of what Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot can show in its flavors and textures, with vitality and finesse.

Crafted Excellence

Winemaking

Etude’s philosophy remains steadfast and this Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted with very minimal winemaking intervention. The grapes were cold soaked for 3–5 days and fermented on their skins in open top fermenters. An extended maceration period followed fermentation to help modify the depth and mouthfeel of the wine, and to fully extract color, flavor, and aromatics. The young wine was then racked into small French oak barrels—using a selection of coopers and forests to accentuate the vineyard distinctions—where it aged for 20 months in 100% French oak (75% new). To maintain the unique characteristics of each vineyard, each block and lot was kept separate until final blending.