2018 Patrimony Caves des Lions
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Tasting notes
Bright purple. Smoke- and spice-accented aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, cured tobacco, vanilla, licorice and mocha are complemented by an exotic touch of incense. Youthfully chewy, focused and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated black currant, cherry cola, fruitcake, vanilla and exotic spice flavors underscored by a smoky mineral quality. At once rich and lively in style, finishing extremely long and precise, with youthfully gripping tannins and reverberating florality. Raised in 100% new French oak barrels for 22 months.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Gorgeous black fruits, chocolate, tobacco, iron, and spicy oak define the 2018 Caves Des Lions, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc brought up all in new French oak. Concentrated, full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and elegant, it has a focused, straight, elegant texture, plenty of structure, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, if not more, and keep for two decades. What can be thought of as the flagship label from the Daou brothers, Patrimony includes four releases – varietal releases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, and their Caves des Lions, which is a blend from a vineyard around the home of one of the brothers. These are the real deal and consistently rank with the finest Bordeaux varieties coming out of California today.
The 2018 Caves des Lions is powerful and velvety, a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc made with free-run juice and aged 28 months in 100% new French oak. It needs plenty of air before unfolding to singular aromas of fresh tobacco leaves and mushroom powder, potpourri and bitter chocolate, shifting from savory fruit to stony mineral notes in the glass over time. The cashmere-textured palate offers youthful Morello cherries and spices, kaleidoscopic and persistent, its flavors lingering long after the last sip is gone.
From vines around the winemaker's house, the 2018 Patrimony Caves Des Lions is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc that will see 28 months in new French oak. Lots of smoke tobacco, blackcurrants, chocolate, damp earth, vanilla bean, and Asian spices dominate the bouquet, and it has a pure, already complex style aromatically. Rich, full-bodied, and gorgeously textured on the palate, it's another winner that's going to drink nicely right out of the gate yet also evolve for 15+ years.