Lerner Project PROJECT 18 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 750 ML

Russell Bevan fans will know the vineyards in this blend a barrel selection of fruit sources from two of Russells favorite vineyard sites, including Tench Vineyards in Oakville and Sugarloaf (it is worth noting that both Tench and Sugarloaf consistently score between 96-100 points). This year’s blend is 75% cabernet sauvignon from the revered Tench (yeah, that vineyard adjacent to Screaming Eagle in Oakville!), and it is a total barnburner. The 15% merlot and 10% cabernet franc are all from south Napas spectacular Sugarloaf vineyard, at the end of the same Vaca range that journeys up Napa Valleys eastern edge with stops at Atlas Peak, Pritchard Hill, Stagecoach, and Howell Mountain. Good dirt, undoubtedly, and the cooling breezes of the Petaluma Gap make Sugarloaf one of the best places to grow cabernet franc and merlot in the entire Napa Valley.

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Rating
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Project 18 offers classic Napa Valley cassis and darker, almost blue fruits to go with full-bodied aromas and flavors of graphite, tobacco, leaf, and crushed stone. Its deep, rich, and concentrated, with great tannins.