2018 Relic Wine Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact
2018 Relic Wine Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact A bigger, richer wine, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact Kenefick Block 7 offers layers of black and blue fruits supported by notes of chocolate, violets, and scorched earth. Coming from a single block in the Kenefick Ranch Vineyard outside of Calistoga, this full-bodied, concentrated 2018 has building tannins and a great finish, all pointing to a brilliant Napa Cabernet that’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 20+ years. 96ps Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from Calistoga. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with pronounced notes of crème de cassis, plum preserves, wild blueberries and boysenberries with underlying suggestions of cedar chest, menthol, fallen leaves and dusty soil. The palate possesses bags of energy, offering a medium to full-body with layers of bright, bold black fruits and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and mineral laced. 95pts WA
Relic Wine
Relic makes some of the finest small lot wine coming out of Napa today, some of the hottest wines coming out of California. Wines are made by rock-star winemaker Mike Hirby who is now making wines for some of Napa’s finest: Realm, DR Stephens, Husic, Saroka and Winter Wines. Relic was founded in 2001 by Mike and his wife Schatzi who is extremely accomplished on the management side, she is also the business manager of Behrens Family Winery. Their mission to make world-class wines that have ultimate complexity, aromatics, nuance and personality from some of the best sites in Napa Valley and the Sonoma Coast and they have succeeded.
Today we have managed to get an allocation of the superb 2018 Relic Artefact Cabernet to offer you. This the 14 vintage of the wine and 2018 is a standout. The wine is sourced from of the excellent Block 7 of the Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga where rocky, well-drained soils do what they are famous for and lift the wine with added dimension and complexity. The wine has awesome power and length and I loved it over the weekend. 2018 is great Napa vintage getting 99 pts by the Wine Spectator which equals the highest rating they have ever given a Napa vintage equaling 1997. The wine got excellent press, 96pts by JD and delivers on all levels. Total production is a tiny 250 cases. I strongly recommend. Enjoy over the next 20 years.