2018 Stanton Cabernet

2018 Stanton Cabernet

2018 Stanton Cabernet: Napa Valley, California Fleshy in texture, rich, full bodied, and structured; an Oakville Cabernet with excellent depth and flavor (blackberry, blueberry jam, toast, cedar), very good balance, and a smooth, moderately tannic finish. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 20 months in French oak barrels, 50% new.

Lush and broad, with a rolling wave of warmed cassis and blackberry compote notes laced with singed alder and dried sweet bay leaf hints. Light menthol and loam accents peek in on the finish, adding more detail, while the copious fruit holds sway. Best from 2023 through 2035. 287 cases made.94pts WS

The Oakville appellation in the Napa Valley has long been recognized as a unique combination of soil, topography, and climate that join together to create an environment that produces world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. Since 1999, the Stanton Family has been putting aside some of their most prized fruit from their 42-acre estate vineyard to produce wine under the Stanton Vineyards label. The combo of Stanton’s prime Oakville vineyards, winemaker Dave Phinney (ex-Orin Swift, The Prisoner) and the near-perfect 2018 vintage has created one of the most compelling Napa Cabs we’ve recently tasted! Everything from its deep purple color to its aromas of dark berries, Creme de Cassis, blueberries, sweet vanilla and humidor spice marks this as an exceptionally ripe Cabernet.

Dave Phinney is probably the most talked about Rockstar Winemaker to hit the wine scene in California in the last 10 years, His wine The Prisoner has revolutionized wine in California changing the style of blends, their style and how we offer them. The sale of the Prisoner has been parlayed into a wine empire from France, California to all over California where he has made great wines that are not only loved by the wine drinking public but by critics alike. In Napa where it all started for Phinney, he has purchased heritage site vineyards like DB Crane, to preserve, to protect them and to make great wines out of them. His wines from Napa Orin Swift Machete and Mercury Head are killer.

I tasted this Cabernet from Stanton Vineyards out of Oakville on Tuesday. This is hardcore 100% Cabernet and I loved the wine and did a little bit of digging to find out that Phinney made the wines. I was then concerned prices would be stratospheric only to find out that they are not. I have been able to secure a tiny amount of both the 2018 Vintage to offer you. From Decanter, “ The 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet vintage belongs in an echelon with the finest of the past two decades. Parker’s WA has given the vintage a massive 96pts. The vintage got 99 pts by the Wine Spectator which equals the highest rating they have ever given. Stanton has been growing grapes in Napa since 1947. Oakville is home to greats like Joseph Phelps and Screaming Eagle. Buyers of their grapes include Stags Leap, Maryvale, Del Dotto, Groth and Orin Swift. In 1999 they decided to keep their best grapes to make wine. Out of their 33 acres of Vineyards in Oakville, only the two best acres go into making the Stanton Cabernet. This is a tiny production hard core insider wine, from a spectacular vintage and made by one of the most gifted