"A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sestina comes from the Red Willow, Dionysus, and Bacchus vineyards and spent 20 months in 48% new French oak barrels. A beautiful, Saint-Julien-like bouquet of blackcurrants, cassis, violets, tobacco, and cedar gives way to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, structured wine that builds incrementally on the palate, with ripe, velvety tannins, a stunning mid-palate, and a blockbuster of a finish. It's beautifully done, and while it drinks well today given its balance, purity, and texture, it's going to develop additional complexity with 3-5 years of bottle age and will have 20-25 years of overall longevity."
- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 96+ pts
"Medium ruby-red. Slightly brooding but complex aromas of dark raspberry, plum, red licorice, spices, menthol, tobacco and fresh herbs. Fairly large-scaled on entry, then full but not weighty in the middle palate, conveying a strong impression of ripeness to its plum, red berry, spice and smoky oak flavors. Delivers Old World finesse of texture and spicy sweetness. Round, broad and mouthfilling, this wine finishes with serious dusty tannins and rising, spicy red berry persistence. My sample developed more pliancy with aeration, but I'd rather give this wine at least another year of cellaring than open it today. - Stephen Tanzer"
"This is blended with 17% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, with the fruit coming from top sites Bacchus, Dionysus and Red Willow. Plum aromas are followed by notes of mocha, scorched earth, pink peppercorn, dried leaf and cassis, showing detail and subtlety. The flavors are polished and seamless, with barely a hair out of place. It's loaded with tannins combed to a fine sheen. An extremely long finish caps it off. The balance and intensity are impressive, but it's the nuance and detail that defines this wine. Best after 2026, with a seemingly immortal life beyond that. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"
"Toasted cedar, pine cones, walnuts and cocoa with ripe blackcurrants and cherries. Medium- to full-bodied, plush and generously dark-fruited, with a firm grip of tannins, a polished texture and a toasty, lingering finish. A little chewy at the end. 77% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 6% cabernet franc. Drink or hold."