Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Wilfred Wong 91
The 2018 Rombauer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is beautifully designed Napa Valley red. This wine offers excellent aromas and flavors of black fruit, licorice, and oak. Enjoy the wine's stately style with a garlic and rosemary-accented, oven-roasted standing rib roast.

Winemaker Notes
This wine is deep purple with a bright fuscia rim. The nose is expressive, with aromas of red cherry and sage with a hint of violet, spice and toast. The wine is full-bodied, packed with flavors of raspberry and black cherry, along with notes of violet and toast from the oak. Supple tannins carry through to a fine and smooth finish.

VINEYARDS
The fruit for this wine comes from vineyards in the St. Helena, Calistoga, Oakville, Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, and Carneros AVAs.

WINEGROWING
Heavy rains in February led to a warm summer, which then turned cool in August, resulting in a later harvest than the last few
years. What followed was a long warm fall with near perfect growing conditions and extended hang time. In the end, it was
one of the longest harvests on record and also above average crop size. Sustainable farming practices throughout the season
were tailored to each block with the assistance of aerial photos produced using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index) technology.

WINEMAKING
The grapes were carefully destemmed and optically sorted to ensure only perfect fruit made it into the wine. A cold soak extracted color and flavor before a combination of tank and barrel fermentation was used to provide a richer, more textured palate. The wine was gently basket-pressed before being racked to French oak barrels for
malolactic fermentation and aging.

FOOD PAIRINGS
Our favorite Joy of Cooking pairings for this wine include Braised Short Ribs, Lasagna Bolognese and Pan Roasted Rack
of Lamb.

Blend: 90 Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 Petit Verdot, 4 Cabernet Franc, 3 Merlot
16 months in 60 new French oak

When founders Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved their two children, two horses and five dogs to Napa Valley in 1972, they arrived armed with an appreciation for the intimate relationship between food and wine. Their appreciation stemmed from Koerner'’s great aunt Irma Rombauer having authored internationally renowned cookbook the Joy of Cooking and his ancestors originating from the winegrowing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine is considered an essential complement to a meal.

Appreciation bred passion, and Rombauer Vineyards was established in 1980. Thirty-five years later, the winery remains owned and operated by first-, second- and third-generation members of the family.