Chalk Hill Estate Red 2018
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Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Estate Red opens with bold and intense aromas of black cherry, anise, tobacco leaf, leather and dark chocolate. The palate is rich and savory with layers of vanilla, spice, dark fruit and black tea. Dense and supple, the tannins are rounded by a balanced acidity and a long and smooth finish. Though appealing in its youth, this wine will also age beautifully over the next 15 years.
Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot, 2% Carmenere
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Aged 21 months in (61% new) French oak, this dynamic, refined, and texturally thrilling blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot, and 2% Carménère opens with scents of red cherry, boysenberry, and coffee. Melting dark chocolate defines the grainy mouthfeel as powdered plum-skin tannins take hold. Winemaker Courtney Foley’s talented handiwork results in a well-built engine that purrs to the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep ruby-purple, the 2018 Estate Red is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Carménère. It has lush aromas of dark cherries, cigar box, integrated baking spices and a waft of bay leaf. The palate is full-bodied with a ripe, grainy frame and seamless freshness, balancing its mineral-laced fruits with still youthful but very classy new oak. It deserves another 2-3 years in bottle.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine Spectator
Ripe loganberry, mulberry and plum notes meld nicely together in this version, which also reveals a hint of licorice snap and a flash of singed alder through the finish. Crowd-pleaser style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenère.
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Perhaps no other winery captures the casual luxury of Sonoma County better than Chalk Hill Estate. Founded nearly four decades ago, this spectacular 1300-acre property features 300 acres of vineyards, wilderness areas, winery, hospitality center, culinary garden, residence, stables, equestrian pavilion, sports fields, fishing and swimming ponds, and guest houses.
The winery's vineyards are thoughtfully woven through the native foliage and contoured to fit the intricate terrain. More than two-thirds of the Chalk Hill Estate remains uncultivated. The higher elevations offer stunning views of the Russian River Valley to the west and the Mayacamas Mountains to the east.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A Sonoma sub-appellation whose boundaries cover the northeastern corner of the Russian River Valley AVA, the Chalk Hill growing area is named after its unique chalky and white, volcanic ash soils. This terrain has proven successful with white varieties, namely Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.