I tasted this newest vintage of Rudd’s Oakville Estate Red in a blind tasting in the beginning of February and it showed incredibly well. I will say, that like many of the 2018s we have tasted and revisited, these wines are more aligned with the 2013 vintage. They need a serious decant before drinking and will of course, benefit with a few years in cellar. Like in the past, this 2018 Estate Red comes from their 55-acre vineyard in the eastern side of Oakville. It is comprised of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. Harvest began early for Rudd on September 19th and lasted 16 days with the vineyard team culling the vineyard in 10 different pick days. “Deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant scents of candied violets, red roses, black raspberries and fragrant earth over a core of cassis, wild blueberries and Morello cherries with a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in poise, featuring beautifully balanced velvety tannins and seamless freshness framing the opulent black and red berry layers, finishing very long and perfumed.” 98+ Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate. 670 cases were produced.