98 pts. Jeb Dunnuck The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is brilliant and delivers that rare mix of opulence, sexiness, and seamlessness that only Napa can do. Off-the-hook aromatics of blackcurrants, chocolaty oak, smoked tobacco, espresso, and damp earth all soar from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth while staying light on its feet and perfectly balanced. It shows the more focused, elegant profile of the vintage yet still plays in the style of this estate and is a big, opulent wine. I love it today, particularly with a decant, but it will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for over two decades.
Winemaker notes: Friends, I have been in the winegrowing business since as long as I can remember. I am now at the age of 44 years and I can count on both hands the number of times I have coined a vintage as “great,” meaning that the vintage is of an extent, amount, or intensity above average. When considering greatness of vintages, and I mean this purely from what happened within the vineyard, vintages such as 1987, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2007, and 2012, all come to mind. The common thread in all of these vintages was consistency throughout the growing season that led to near perfect, and above average, crop sets in Bordeaux varieties. And, now we can include vintage 2018 as one of the greats! The 2018 vintage features a beautiful purple hue that sheets the glass indicating a full-bodied, concentrated beauty! Perfumed aromatics of clove, barrel vanillin, black cherries and currants fill the senses with anticipation. The palate is expansive and full bodied with fine grained tannins and a lengthy finish that lingers for minutes. There is no pocket of the mouth unfilled or escaping this wine’s sumptuous composition. Anticipated maturity is 2024 to 2039.