2017 Castiel Estate
By Lisa Perrotti-Brown
www.robertparker.com
Deep garnet-purple, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has a beguiling nose of baked blackcurrants, warm black plums and mulberries with touches of spice cake, forest floor, candied violets and dark chocolate. Medium to fullbodied, the palate is chock-full of earth-laced black fruits, with a firm, grainy frame and bags of freshness, finishing long and minerally. Impressive!
Rating: 95+ pts
This is my first time tasting this new project high up on Howell Mountain with winemaker Celia Welch and WOW-what an impressive start! I asked Celia how she managed to produce a wine of such crunchiness, freshness and purity in 2017. “It probably barely got above 90 degrees during the Labor Day heat wave up there," she said with a smile. The longer, cooler growing season certainly shows in the finesse of these beauties. A vineyard to watch!