2018 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
There are three Cabernet Sauvignon releases. Starting with the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, this inky blue/purple-hued Cabernet gives up a smoky, meaty nose of classic Howell Mountain blue and black fruits, smoked tobacco, graphite, and crushed stone-like minerality. It hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness as well as beautiful purity of fruit. However, there are off-putting, chewy, coarse tannins that mar an otherwise outstanding wine. Odds are, there's some low-level smoke taint here, and while this is unquestionably enjoyable (I followed the bottle for multiple days), I would urge caution as well as planning on early drinking.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain) is a blend of fruit from the estate and the True Vineyard. It offers good depth, but is marred by distracting smoke notes and rough, drying tannins unlike those in any of the other wines in this range. It's hard to know by tasting alone if the 2018 Cabernet has smoke taint issues, as mountain sites and wines aged in a high percentage of new oak can show strong smoke/charred signatures. At the same time, the 2018 is very hard to taste.