2018 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

JD97+ Another wine that shows the quality of the vintage to a T is the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. It has undeniable class and finesse as well as medium to full body, a perfumed, complex array of cassis and dark fruits, tobacco, and violets, silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. This isn’t a blockbuster but a wine that builds beautifully with time in the glass and will reward 4-5 years of bottle age and have 20-30 years of overall longevity. The blend of the 2018 is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all aged 20 months in new French oak, but it seems to have absorbed every ounce, as it’s undetectable. It’s a brilliant, quintessential Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.