Bond, St Eden, Napa Valley 2018

Extremely aromatic and energetic with blackberries and essence of currants. Fresh and transparent. Full-bodied with dark fruit and some spice, inkwell and blood. Very structured and tannic, but balanced and polished. Undercurrent of acidity. Contrastive. Better after 2026.

A bonafide smorgasbord-like array of ripe black cherry and blueberry fruits, chocolate, cedar pencil shavings, spice cabinet, and violets emerge from the 2018 St. Eden, a deep, rich, profound 2019 that unquestionably ranks with the top wines in the vintage. With full-bodied richness, it has beautiful mid-palate density and depth of the vintage while staying light on its feet, balanced, and lengthy. The tannins emerge with extended time in the glass, and it will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and no doubt keep for 30 years if stored properly. This comes from a slightly cooler terroir of red, volcanic soils and spent 28 months in roughly 40% to 60% new French oak.

Deep purple-black colored, the 2018 St Eden charges out of the gate with rambunctious notes of wild blueberries, cassis, and mocha followed by suggestions of charcoal, fertile loam, and cardamom. Full-bodied, firm, and tightly knit, the palate has a sturdy structure and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally.

The 2018 St. Eden is impressive. Dense and powerful in the glass, the 2018 is done in a style that emphasizes freshness and vibrancy, reflecting a generational transition in all of these wines that is most apparent here. Dark fruit, licorice, mocha, spice and chocolate begin to emerge with time, but the St. Eden is much less forthcoming than in the past. In fact, the 2018 might very well be the most reticent St. Eden I have ever tasted. That energy will serve it well in the cellar. Readers accustomed to the voluptuous, lush St. Edens of the past will not find that in the 2018. As much as the style has changed in this wine, I am not surprised to see that. A complete vertical of the Bond wines a few years ago showed the St. Eden to have the most condensed arc of peak drinkability of the Bond wines.