Grgich Hills Estate Yountville Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Rich, lush flavors of blackberry, black licorice and allspice.
Enjoy with roasted rack of lamb, Wagyu beef and truffled roasted fingerling potatoes.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium to full-bodied 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville Old Vine leads with scents of cassis, mint, dark chocolate and loamy earth. There's enough oak to lend supporting structure, but it doesn't dominate the olfactory or gustatory facets of this wine, which is ripe and concentrated but also streamlined and silky, ending in a lingering, savory and complex finish.
-
James Suckling
Baked blueberries, blackcurrants, ripe blackberries, nutmeg, licorice and peppercorns on the nose. Some ink and oyster shell too. Full-bodied, concentrated and compact with a dense core of black fruit supported by firm tannins. From organically grown grapes. Drink from 2023.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
One of the clear standouts here is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville Selection, which has a concentrated, slightly rustic, yet still enjoyable and character-filled style, and it’s clearly well-made. Dark fruits, sous bois, tobacco, and damp earth all define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with firm tannins and good acidity. It should have 15 years of longevity.
-
Decanter
Ripe cassis, clove, cigar box, toast aromas. Fine tannins, bright acidity and good concentration of blackcurrant fruit with a spicy finish. Blend 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Other Vintages
2019- Decanter
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
-
Wilfred
Wong -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
Spirits
-
Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Winemaker Ivo Jeramaz joined his uncle at Grgich Hills Estate in 1986 and has since become the wineries winemaker and VP of vineyards and production. Ivo has always had a passion for organic and regenerative farming practices. He has committed to farming each of our five estate vineyards organically without the assistance of pesticides or herbicides.
"At Grgich Hills, we grow grapes like my grandfather did, farming without chemicals and pesticides," Ivo says. "Mike taught me early in my career that you need great grapes to make great wine. Over the years, I’ve focused on working with the land. Through our natural farming, it’s been very rewarding to see the soil alive with healthier plants than under conventional farming. It allows the wines to be more authentic—more distinctive."
The health of the vineyards has and always will be a top priority for Grgich Hills Estate. With each glass of their wine, they hope that you can have the confidence that they have grown the best grapes possible in healthy, organically farmed vineyards.
In March 2023 the winery received Regenerative Organic Certification. The winery is only one of a small group of producers in California that has this certification. Ivo Jeramaz and his team have been working many years towards this certification and it reflects in the wines that are made each vintage.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
One of Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.