Mount Eden 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mts

One of California's most ageable Cabernets comes from Mount Eden's vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As always its on of the most limited Cabernets. previous vintage 97+ Points Jeb Dunnuck: "A brilliant, youthful, unevolved wine that will give Ridge's Monte Bello a run for its money, the Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep ruby/purple hue to go with a wonderful perfume of blackcurrants, blueberries, lead pencil, vanilla bean, exotic flowers, tobacco, and bouquet garni. Needing plenty of air to show at its best, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate and has a concentrated, powerful style, ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, aged in used French and American oak, it's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and, I suspect, have 30-40 years of overall longevity." 97 Points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon is going to need a number of years to come around. The only question is how many. In 2017, the Mount Eden Cabernet is shockingly opulent. Inky black fruit, bittersweet chocolate, spice, leather and incense are all dialed up in this super-sized Cabernet. Even so, there is plenty of structure lurking beneath. I can't wait to see how this ages." The Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon, in the main, with Merlot and a soupçon of Cabernet Franc, may be an outlier in the Pinot-dominated Santa Cruz Mountains today, but it comes with quite a pedigree: The vineyard was planted with a selection from pioneering vintner Martin Ray's late 1940s vineyard. That selection of Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings was taken from the La Questa Vineyard, which in turn was grafted in the 1890s to scions from Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux, France. "Mount Eden is one of the United States' great heritage estates," writes Robert Parker.