2018 HIGHEST BEAUTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HIGHEST BEAUTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2018 HIGHEST BEAUTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON

The goal for our namesake wine is working with To Kalon Vineyard as a whole, crafting a wine from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, while capturing the purity, intensity, and diversity of this special terroir. With soft tannins, plenty of structure, richness, and aromatic excitement, this wine tells the story of the nearly ideal 2018 growing season. The grapes were harvested at night to preserve the freshness of the fruit. Careful sorting and a long, slow fermentation and maceration round out the wine and bring forward the broad spectrum of flavors and aromas inherent in this noble variety.

  • Vintage 2018
  • Alcohol 14.5%
  • Vineyard To Kalon Vineyard
  • Appellation Oakville, Napa Valley
  • Varietal 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cooperage 100% New French Oak
  • Winemaker Andy Erickson
  • Region California

  • Accolades

    99 Pts. “Blackberries and lead pencil with asphalt, spice and violets. This is medium-to full-bodied with linear and very long tannins that go on and on. Racy and refined, with strength at the same time. Closed and tight now. Hints of toasted oak at the end. Give it time to show its greatness. Pure cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2025."
    — James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

    98+ Pts. “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Highest Beauty is pure brilliance and ranks with the finest wines of the vintage. This is a tiny production cuvée made with the idea of producing the best wine possible from the vineyard, and where most To Kalon lean toward the more powerful, sexy end of the spectrum, this beauty has an almost Pauillac-like style in its pure cassis, graphite, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil-like aromas and flavors. With fine tannins, medium to full-bodied richness, and just about flawless balance, it has the vibrancy, purity, and structure that makes this vintage so special. This will most likely flirt with perfection in 5-6 years and should have 25+ years of overall longevity."
    — Jeb Dunnuck

  • Vineyard

    H.W. Crabb came to California looking for gold but stayed to become one of the pioneers of Napa Valley winemaking. He named his estate To Kalon Vineyard, Greek for Highest Beauty, because of the lush bounty it provided. Soon, his wines became renowned around the world. And over the last 150 years, the vineyard’s consistent fine quality has made it one of the most coveted in the world.

    Sited between the sheltering Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges deep in the valley, the vineyard has well-drained, gravelly soil that allows the vines to root deeply to find precious moisture and nutrients. The broad diurnal temperature shifts and reliable sun, wind, and fog provide the ideal blend of growth and rest for complex flavor development.

  • Vintage

    2018 was a spectacular growing season from start to finish. February brought a healthy dose of rain, fully replenishing the soils. Sunshine and mild temperatures followed, setting up nearly ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set. Light rains in early October, followed by breezy warm days, allowed the vineyards to fully mature, and the grape harvest felt like the smoothest of landings.