Another St. Helena release, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Ceanda checks in as 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot, all brought up in French oak. Black fruits, chocolaty herbs, graphite, violets, and acacia flower notes all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with a seamless, elegant texture, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. I'd be thrilled to drink a bottle any time over the coming 20 years or more.\n Producer Information\n Vineyard 29 is a cult wine producer based in Napa Valley. The winery, owned by Chuck and Anne McMinn, is acclaimed for its wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon from their Estate and Aida vineyards, as well as and old-vine Zinfandel from the latter. The estate was founded by Teresa Norton and Tom Paine in 1989, who planted a three acre (1.2 hectare) vineyard on their Saint Helena property. They named it for their address – 2929 on California's State Route 29. Vineyard 29's first vintage was in 1992, and was made at Grace Family Vineyards by Gary Galleron. In 1995, renowned winemaker Heidi Barrett came on as winemaker and, in 1999, the equally lauded Philippe Melka took the reins. In 2000 the McMinns bought the winery, and added the Aida Vineyard to the portfolio, as well as building a new state-of-the-art winery and hiring high profile viticulturist David Abreu. Everything from temperature to humidity is monitored by computer, and moisture probes were installed in the vineyards to measure when and how much to irrigate the vines. The estate and Aida properties benefit from hillside locations. The estate vineyard produces a Cabernet Sauvignon - awarded 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2013, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. The Aida estate wines include a Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and a late-harvest Zinfandel. The Estate and Aida wines are labelled separately. They are considered companion labels, rather than one being higher quality than the other. Recently, Vineyard 29 created a Cru (or CRU) portfolio, featuring a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from other Napa properties, as well as a Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley. These are made in a more approachable style than the flagship wines.
