2018 Napa Valley – First Impressions…

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JULY 31, 2019

After a tumultuous, hugely stressful 2017, Napa Valley winemakers and owners welcomed an essentially trouble-free growing season in 2018. As I have done for many years, this past spring I tasted the new vintage from barrel to get a first look at the wines ahead of my fall tastings. Based on what I have seen so far 2018 looks like a strong vintage, although there were some challenges, as well, especially in August and throughout harvest. Readers should note that, because the wines are in such an embryonic stage, this article does not include reviews for specific wines.

Tasting the 2018s, block by block, at VHR – Vine Hill Ranch.

One of the things I enjoy most about tasting young Napa Valley Cabernets in the spring after harvest is that in most cases the wines have not been blended (or even racked) at all, which provides an incredible opportunity to see the wines in a very pure state, almost always straight from barrel. Of the producers I tasted (a full list is below), only Harlan and Promontory had created blends, which is unusually early for both, while Kapcsándy presented working base blends, typical for them at this time of year.

Based on what I have tasted so far, 2018 is shaping up to be a year with mid-weight structure, along the lines of 2012, but with the darker tonalities of fruit found in years like 2014. Alcohols and tannins are lower than the norm across the board. It is a vintage with a tremendous capacity to express precision, something I saw at Screaming Eagle, where a tasting of numerous blocks on the property showed just how nuanced these wines can be and how complex the estate is as a whole.