2018 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon 13th Vineyard Reserve Howell Mountain

Moving to the two flagship releases, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec) is another inky hued release from this team and offers a thrilling nose of blueberries, black cherries, iron, cedar pencil, and bouquet garni. These carry to a full-bodied wine with beautiful mid-palate density, a soft, expansive texture, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. Ranking with the top handful of wines in the vintage, it's going to evolve gracefully for 20-25 years or more.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 13th Vineyard offers the most classic expression of Howell Mountain of the three Cabernets in the Cade range. It is loaded with scents of blackberry jam, graphite, pencil shavings, game, tobacco, incense and licorice. Unctuous and explosive in the glass, with tons of tannic heft, the 2018 is a wine to cellar for at least a few years. It is one of the very finest wines I have tasted from Cade under its current ownership. Dazzling.

A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve displays a deep garnet-purple color and notes of blackcurrant cordial, plum pudding, dried mulberries and mincemeat pie with touches of Indian spices, chargrill, dried Mediterranean herbs and charcoal. Full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of black fruit preserves flavors with an herbal lift and a grainy texture plus just enough freshness, finishing on a lingering smoked-meat note.