Estee Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

2018 was a banner year for cabernet sauvignon in the Napa Valley – one of the very best ever! This fantastic estate-grown Napa cabernet encapsulates everything we love about being locals – where word of mouth and sheer coincidence of the right place and the right time lead to a score of an amazing tiny-production cabernet sauvignon like this!

Just south of the Stags Leap District, due west of Atlas Peak, and only a small leap north of Coombsville, you’ll find the Estee Hill Vineyard. A perfectly placed Napa Valley vineyard for growing cabernet sauvignon – with the classic hillside drainage of the Vaca range’s prized rocky and volcanic soils. Since 2013, Muna Soltan has partnered with Dan Sakai to make a tiny amount of wine under the Estee Hill label, bringing on former Whitehall Lane winemaker Dean Sylvester in 2016 to oversee the winemaking. They struck gold just a few years later – with 2018 standing as one of the finest Napa vintages of all time – rated a near-perfect 99 points (and tied with 1997 as the best ever)! This meager production is far too small to ever be submitted for critical press, but trust us – the scores would be unbelievably solid.

The resulting cabernet sauvingon is quite delicious – and for the price – simply stunning. The insane pedigree of 2018 Napa cab is on full display, as this wine struts with a brawny, heart-pumping POWER that will knock you off your feet! Inky, primordial depth and concentration with toasty, luxurious French oak character, followed by espresso and sweet blackberries and raspberries, then fig leaf, and myriad spices – from black pepper to clove, cardamom, and cinnamon. This is a fierce, warm, bear hug of a cabernet that will hold you tight and bring nearly never-ending joy for years to come! At this price, it’s worth getting a handful, and drinking them with gusto over the next several years!