
2018 Vintage Reserve
Sonoma ValleyThe 2018 Vintage Reserve 160th Anniversary Edition is a hand selected, meticulously crafted, cool climate Cab that's only beginning to show what it is capable of and will continue to improve for 20+ years.
Tasting NOTES
Named one of the 10 best wines for Fall 2022 by Robb Report!
Elegant yet powerful, the 2018 Vintage Reserve reveals itself with layers of cassis, wet earth balanced by fine-grained tannins. Freshness and opulence interplay to create tension and complexity in the glass, with dark chocolate, peat moss, boysenberry, juniper and fennel. This is a true expression of place and precise winemaking from our hillside vineyards in our cool maritime climate. That it is such a special wine is apropos, given it commemorates the 160th vintage after our ancestors found this place.
Vineyard NOTES
Since 1981, the Bundschu family has crafted a limited bottling of the vintage's most elegant and expressive vines with the designation Vintage Reserve. Winemaker Keith Emerson selects individual barrels to blend a wine that showcases the distinctive character of Cabernet-family grapes grown on the southwest slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain Range. Our 160+ year old estate vineyard lies eight miles north of San Pablo Bay on steep, shallow soils of volcanic ash and tufa, exposed to pervasive maritime breezes, long daylight hours and extreme diurnal temperature shifts. Top blocks are farmed specifically for Vintage Reserve that yield 2.5 tons/acre.
Production NOTES
2018 had incredibly moderate and consistent day time temperatures pushing this growing season until the 1st week of November. The latest we have finished picking in almost a decade. These perfect conditions resulted in impeccable fruit quality across all varietals. Flavor and phenolic ripeness was achieved at lower sugar levels. This balance has created some of the most elegant and age worthy wines produced in recent memory. Yields were also exceptional, which means great wine and lots of it. Truly a goldilocks type vintage, with all aspects (climate, hangtime, and yields) being just right.
- Wine Type:
- Red Wine
- Varietal Composition:
-
- 82% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 7% Cabernet Franc
- 6% Malbec
- 3% Merlot
- 2% Petit Verdot
- Appellation:
- Sonoma Valley
- PH:
- 3.80
- Barrel Aging:
-
- 20 months | 100% French oak, 65% new | Taransaud, Quintessence, Ermitage and Demptos
- Alcohol %:
- 14.5%
Retail $140.00 | 15-20% off for Bacchus Club Members