Other vintages

From a range of sites and expertly blended by Philippe Melka and his team, this wine has 5% Petit Verdot and spent 18 months in French oak, half of it new. Black olive, pencil shaving, sage and cedar provide a savory context against which concentrated black cherry and plum play. Coffee makes an appearance on the finish. Enjoy 2028-2035.

As with the whites, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint is a larger production release that sports a dense purple color as well as classic Cabernet notes of blue and black fruits, green tobacco, graphite, and spring flowers. With a more fruit-forward style, it's still rich, medium to full-bodied, has classy tannins, and is a seriously good bottle of wine.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint is fabulous. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, spice, lavender and menthol fill out the layers beautifully. In the glass, the 2018 is rich and generous, yet it also possesses terrific freshness and plenty of verve. It is a superb wine in its price range, or any price range, for that matter.