2018 Quella

The 2018 Bond Cabernets are phenomenal. Strong site expression, classic Napa Valley richness and vibrancy make these some of the most impressive and compelling wines of the vintage. If forced to choose, I would pick the Melbury and Pluribus as the most complete wines in the range, partly because I feel those wines don't always get their due. The 2019s, which I tasted from barrel, are a bit richer than the 2018s, but perhaps with a bit less delineation. That will be clearer once the wines are in bottle. For now, the 2018s are pretty magical. Winemaker Cory Empting and his team certainly got the best out of the year. That might seem obvious today in looking over these reviews, but the 2018s have really come together since I first tasted them in the spring of 2019, when the wines were shy, awkward adolescents.

I was blown away by the Bond wines in 2018. In a region that can sometimes be marked by a certain sense of sameness, the 2018s are remarkably pure and singular wines. In 2018, the signatures of each site are so well articulated that tasting through the range is really taking a tour through some of Napa Valley's most distinguished sites. A series of small and not so small refinements in farming and winemaking over the last few years is evident. The 2018s are bright, energetic and full of life.

The 2017s are, naturally the result of a far more challenging year. Production is down at many sites because of severe selection. Sadly, there is no Pluribus in 2017, as the entire crop was lost to smoke. The 2017s were fermented in a variety of vessels, stainless steel for Quella, wood uprights for St. Eden and a mix of stainless and barrel ferments for Melbury and St. Eden. Aging was 26-28 months, so a bit less than the norm at Harlan Estate.