2018 Timeless Napa Valley

Tasting Notes

With richness and depth of flavor, the 2018 Timeless Napa Valley is the embodiment of patience and attention to detail. Decades of experience at Soda Canyon Ranch allow winemaker Nate Weis and team to highlight the individual merits of each block. Combining the strongest lots from each resulted in a refined and harmonious bottling.

In 2018, the diurnal shift at Soda Canyon Ranch produced a darker, lusher fruit profile of Cabernet Sauvignon. Simultaneously, the overnight recovery periods resulted in expressive and refined Merlot, giving the wine a pleasant profile of bright, red fruit. With an extended harvest window, the signature, plush density and structure of Petit Verdot is also prevalent in the final blend. Cabernet Franc thrived in 2018 with its predilection for the cooler soils and the climate of blocks 5, 6, 16, 20 and 21—areas we call the Transition Zone and Hardpan Alley. The variety’s floral and tobacco-like aromatics are accentuated, and its more aggressive nature for back-end tannins tamed.

Once blended, the 2018 vintage rested in French oak barrels for 16 months, developing flavors of vanilla and baking spice. Velvety tannins dance across the palate of bright and lingering cassis. With a smooth finish, this is a comforting wine of elegance and depth—a sophisticated expression of the sedate summer.

Vintage Description

In vintages of abundance, the beauty at Soda Canyon Ranch never ceases to astonish. Steady winter rains quenched the hillsides through the end of May. An impressive fruit set was the result of mild temperatures and ideal conditions through the spring, and long, warm summer days followed by cool evenings helped develop a balanced crop load. A leisurely season was met with calm anticipation as we waited patiently for the fruit to develop. Then, all at once, we quickly and diligently picked the remarkable bounty of vibrant and intense fruit, confirming that 2018 would long be remembered as a vintage of exceptional quality.