Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Bone Ash Vineyard Calistoga Napa Valley 2018

Venge Vineyards is legendary for their single vineyard cabernet sauvignons here in Napa Valley, and this Bone Ash 2018 is among their best ever! Triple 96 Points and the coveted *Cellar Selection* award from Wine Enthusiast!

The Venge family has been in the wine industry for generations, ever since they emigrated from Denmark in the early 1900s. They were already early Napa pioneers when they acquired their first estate in Oakville back in 1976, and today, with two additional estate vineyards here in the Napa Valley, they have continued to make their mark as one of the finest cabernet sauvignon houses anywhere.

The 2018 vintage was a legendary one for Napa cabs, and winemaker/owner Kirk Venge could scarcely contain his praise for the vintage. “I have been in the winegrowing business since as long as I can remember… and I can count on both hands the number of times I have coined a vintage as “great,”... The 2018 vintage is simply spectacular.” - Kirk Venge

In particular, the Calistoga estate known as Bone Ash – a mostly dry-farmed parcel of 30+ year-old vines – thrived in 2018, and this 100% cabernet sauvignon is surely one of the standouts of the vintage. Triple 96 Points, from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Jeb Dunnuck, and the Wine Enthusiast is quite the pedigree, and if you love Napa’s big, bold, and endlessly powerful style of cabernet sauvignon...look no further.

The vineyard focuses on two clones of cabernet sauvignon – clones #7 and #8 – and these old vines with deep roots have come to yield some of the most concentrated and structured cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley. The flavors and aromas are basically textbook Napa – with black and blue bramble berries that flow into black cherries and red currants, with toasty oak expressions of Tahitian vanilla, mocha, clove, and black pepper. Juicy, jammy, with a generous core of fruits, but finely polished with a harmonious balance of acidity and tannins to ensure sophisticated sipping for decades to come. This is just now entering its prime – with another two decades on the table for drinking. Only about 7 cases available for this library selection – so do what you must to make one yours today!

PAIRING IDEAS: Ever heard of Blanquette de Veau? This traditional French stew is perfect for colder weather and full-bodied cabernets. Use the best, most concentrated and gelatinous stock you can find for extra flavor, and don’t be scared by the name...this is about as basic as stew gets!