85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, 1% Malbec
92 Points Jeb Dunnuck
Beautiful cassis, blackcurrants, tobacco, and sandalwood notions emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Star Lane Vineyard, and it’s medium-bodied, with a wonderful sense of elegance, silky tannins, and outstanding length. A classy, impeccably balanced Cabernet Sauvignon that shows the style of quality of this estate, it’s going to keep for 15+ years. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, and the balance Malbec, all aged 22 months in 35% new French oak.
This vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon is as compelling as it is mysterious. The flavors one can specifically articulate seem to change with time; one-minute producing sage and blue fruits, another minute it’s tight and closed, and after a day of being open it feels lush in its middle-palate if tense on its finish. This dance in and out of full revelation has always been a trademark of youthful but age worthy wines which seem to need time to show their layers more clearly.
Vintage
2018 followed in the footsteps of our 2017 Star Lane vintage. We experienced another winter with lighter rainfall, transitioning into the Santa Barbara County’s apparent new norm. Limited cluster counts and a cool spring which impacts fruit set at flowering signified yields would again be restrained to lower than average. The threat of frost damage would prove ephemeral, and the remainder of the season showcased even temperatures producing a consistent and steady ripening pattern and a return to normal vine maturation. Harvest began in long slow breaths, which gave ample time to thoughtfully process the fruit, allowing us to highlight the freshness and aromatics of the season. The clusters having sustained a healthy hang time, developed the classic texture and complexity that Bordeaux-varietal fruit from this vineyard site have become increasingly renowned for.
WINEMAKER NOTES
While we would have loved a bit more fruit – yields were very small – 2018 was a vintage we needed. It provided a reprieve from the variables of heat spells and drought. Steady and mild temperatures throughout the ripening period kept development even and allowed each vineyard block’s unique qualities to emerge. (These are often driven by soil differences or temperature regime changes due to elevation differences but are usually more articulated during “normal” vintages). What became quite apparent during initial fermentation was the level of tension and supple qualities 2018 brought to Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit profiles seemed darker, even if richness – often associated with darker flavors – did not increase. We enjoyed this contrast to 2017 and extended some maceration times to accent the tension with a touch of grip by building in more tannin. However, much we loved this vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), after a year of aging the blending table revealed that Petit Verdot (9%) and Cabernet Franc (7%) brought a fulness
to the mid palate that we prefer. Additionally, Malbec (6%) played a more sizable role than is typical because it had incredibly pure blue (think blueberries) fruit which we found very attractive and couldn’t deny the blend.
