Salus Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

The 2018 growing season was even and mild – a delightful respite and contrast to the extremes of 2017. A generally dry winter gave way to a wet early spring that fully charged the soil profile with generous and well-timed rains. Ideal conditions during the flowering period allowed for a great set made for an abundant potential crop. The crop load was remarkable not because of the number of clusters or the size of the berries, but for the sheer number of berries on each cluster. A generally temperate and languid summer led to the latest start to a harvest in my tenure here and allowed for an extended hangtime that allowed the fruit to ripen more slowly and become fully mature at lower levels of sugar and slightly higher levels of acid, resulting in fresh, expressive, and complex wines.

The poised 2018 Salus Cabernet Sauvignon feels like a modern portrait of yesteryear’s traditions. Well-composed flavors of cassis and boysenberry redolent with raspberry liqueur, milled spices, and subtle earth flow seamlessly into a balanced midpalate full of finely crafted detail. Filigreed tannins produce a delightfully delicate and textured wine with a finessed and silky structure that is drinking well right out of the gate yet hints at layers yet to be fully revealed.