2018 Jericho Canyon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon East Elevation

Lots of ripe plum, blackcurrants, licorice, and smoked tobacco notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon East Elevation. This is a rich, ripe, pedal-to-the-metal style Cabernet with plenty of firm tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a good finish. It pushes on the ripeness scale yet holds everything together reasonably well, although there are some chewy tannins on the finish that give me pause. Give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar, at which point it should be easier to see how this is evolving. If the fruit starts verging into the over-ripe spectrum or the tannins dry out, it will be a wine to drink relatively quickly.