13 Wines That Prove 2018 Is One of the Best Vintages of the Decade
These are the Bordeaux-style reds from Napa and Sonoma you should add to your cellar this fall.
By Sara L. Schneider, for the Robb report August 2021
Castiel Estate 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
This marvelously complex Castiel Estate Cabernet comes from seasoned Napa Valley winemaker Celia Welch, working with proprietors Dave and Kathleen DiCesaris. Layer after layer unfolds on the nose—cedar and loamy forest floor following blackberry, cassis, warm spice, mocha and hints of graphite and tobacco leaf. Plush and generous fruit opens in the glass—blackberry, black raspberry and cassis—on a palate that toggles between dense textures and brightness. The mountain tannin structure here comes off as stately (definitely age-worthy), lingering elegantly on the finish.
