2018 5500 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

Coming from the cooler Stags Leap region, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 5500 is one of the more perfumed, complex wines in the lineup, but this is common for wines from this appellation. Based off mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Merlot, it offers a smorgasbord of red and blue fruits intermixed with notes of spring flowers, spice, loamy earth, cured meats, and cedar. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has terrific overall balance, lots of ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. As with all of these 2018 from the team Futo, it needs bottle age. Give bottles 4-5 years if you can and enjoy over the following 30+.

The 2018 5500, Tom Futo's Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, is off the charts. For some reason, the Stags Leap wine does not get talked about much. Maybe that's because Futo is based in Oakville. Whatever the reason or reasons, there can be no doubt the 5500 is the flagship wine here. It is also one of very best wines in Stags Leap. The power, richness and pedigree are just world-class. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of aromas and flavors, leading with crème de cassis, lavender, licorice, cloves and blueberry jam. In a word: magnificent!