The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon commitment is dazzling. Elegant, deep, and wonderfully sophisticated, the 2018 is plush, deep and beautifully layered from start to finish. Black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, and spice all meld together. The tannins are present, but they are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of fruit. An extra year of oak adds textural richness while softening some of the contours that these wines can show in their youth.

With this vintage, the sixth release, Françoise Peschon is now consultant winemaker. She first met Henry and Vanessa Cornell in 2011 and officially joined them as winemaker in 2013, bringing on board Elizabeth Tangney in 2018 as the director of viticulture and winemaking. The abundant growing season in this western-facing pocket of the Mayacamas range atop Spring Mountain, delivered a deeply concentrated and structured 2018. Voluptuous blackberry fruit is layered with cassis, dark plum and cocoa, along with dried wild fennel and thyme. Firm, fine-grained tannins provide support through the long crushed-stone finish.