" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Laird Cabernet Sauvignon Flat Rock Ranch 2018
Our Price: $130.00 $110.00
6 bottles with free shipping for: $660.00
12 bottles with free shipping for: $1,200.00
6 bottles with free shipping for: $660.00
12 bottles with free shipping for: $1,200.00
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| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Napa) |
| Winery: | Laird |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Organic: | Yes |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Product Description
Laird Cabernet Sauvignon Flat Rock Ranch is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Laird's Flat Rock Ranch vineyard is located near the north corner of where Yountville Cross Road meets Silverado Trail, on State Lane. This prized, complex fruit from the Yountville Appellation is a result of unique geological and meteorological conditions: volcanic soils similar to the adjacent Stags Leap District, but also display ancient coastal deposits, and sedimentary and alluvial soils that provide beneficial stress for our vines. Marine air currents from San Pablo Bay to the south are caught when they reach the "Yountville Mounts," providing a natural cooling effect that balances warm, sunny days that ripen the rich tannins of our hallmark Cabernet Sauvignon to elegant distinction.
Bold violet-red color introduces a captivating bouquet of blueberries, tea leaf, and vanilla. This full-bodied wine has flavors of cassis, hazelnut and briary undertones with fresh acidity and chewy tannins on the palate
Review:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Flat Rock is laced with crème de cassis, menthol, lavender, spice and blueberry jam. Inky and plush, the 2018 also has quite a bit of energy backing it all up. The 2018 is a gorgeous wine from Laird.- Antonio GALLONI"
- Vinous (The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernets: A Deep Dive, January 2022), 93+ pts
Winery: Laird
After nearly 50 years in the wine business, we understand the ins and outs of the industry, from the trends to the challenges. We believe that our success is due to our vineyard expertise as well as our shared goal to produce great estate wines.
With a concentration on Napa and Carneros vineyards, we have sought to produce wines that are “a window to a place.” Each one of our vineyards is different in expression, with its own subtle, yet distinctive character and voice. Each year renews in us an intense drive to understand, react to, and work with each vineyard to allow it to reach its full potential. This process, lead by our winemaking and vineyard management team, is crucial for the execution of successful wines.
Date Founded: Growing grapes since 1970. Making wine under their own nme since 2005.
Owner: Ken Laird
Winery Philosophy: With nearly 50 years in the wine business, we truly understand the ‘ins-and-outs’ of the industry and are able to meet the unique trends and challenges of the wine business. We believe that our success is due to the combination of vineyard expertise and a shared vision and goal to produce great, estate wines.
With a concentration in Napa and Carneros vineyards, we have sought to produce wines that are “a window to a place.” Each one of our vineyards is different in expression: each has a subtle, yet distinctive vineyard voice. With every year there is an intense drive to understand, react to and work with each vineyard to reach its full potential. This process, lead by winemaker and vineyard manager, is crucial for the execution of successful wines.
With a concentration in Napa and Carneros vineyards, we have sought to produce wines that are “a window to a place.” Each one of our vineyards is different in expression: each has a subtle, yet distinctive vineyard voice. With every year there is an intense drive to understand, react to and work with each vineyard to reach its full potential. This process, lead by winemaker and vineyard manager, is crucial for the execution of successful wines.
Our story begins over 75 years ago outside of South Boston Virginia as twelve-year-old Ken Laird drove his mule wagon through tight rows of sticky, fit-to-be-harvested tobacco leaves. As the gooey bundles were thrown up onto the wagon, little Ken led his mule team to the curing barn. It was there, with his grandmother, great uncles and cousins, they would stoke smoky curing fires for their prized tobacco. Ken would be the third generation Laird to carry on the farming tradition.
While growing up to be a big city mechanical engineer in New York City, Ken held on to his family tradition of becoming a farmer. In 1970, Ken and his wife, Gail, purchased their first Napa Valley parcel. This neglected piece of land, adjacent to Tubbs Lane in Calistoga, held 70 acres of worn-down prune trees. With Prohibition forty years gone and Napa Valley positioned to re-emerge as viticulturally significant, Ken and Gail decided to develop the orchard into a grape vineyard. While knowing just short of nothing about viticulture, they were also $150,000 short to properly develop the orchard into a respectable vineyard. Picking up a tattered phone book, Ken went to the yellow pages and found eight listed wineries…Robert Mondavi being the only one he recognized.
While growing up to be a big city mechanical engineer in New York City, Ken held on to his family tradition of becoming a farmer. In 1970, Ken and his wife, Gail, purchased their first Napa Valley parcel. This neglected piece of land, adjacent to Tubbs Lane in Calistoga, held 70 acres of worn-down prune trees. With Prohibition forty years gone and Napa Valley positioned to re-emerge as viticulturally significant, Ken and Gail decided to develop the orchard into a grape vineyard. While knowing just short of nothing about viticulture, they were also $150,000 short to properly develop the orchard into a respectable vineyard. Picking up a tattered phone book, Ken went to the yellow pages and found eight listed wineries…Robert Mondavi being the only one he recognized.
With a phone call, Robert Mondavi himself agreed to walk the property. After they discussed soils, vines, yields, irrigation, and proper pruning, Robert agreed to finance a deal with the Lairds if they would plant 50% Gamay. The deal was struck with a resulting vineyard of 50% Gamay and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. Mr. Mondavi guaranteeing the Laird’s Cabernet “to be the highest harvest price paid in the Valley.” The support and encouragement of Robert Mondavi would allow Ken to return to his passion: his family farming heritage.
By the late 1990’s the Laird vineyard holdings had exceeded 2,000 acres and the idea of making their own premium line of wines began to take shape. Architect, Jon Lail, showed Ken and Gail the plans for the iconic pyramid-shaped, multi-level winery. Construction began on what would become the Red Hen Ranch vineyard property north of Napa. Ken and Gail’s son, Justin, worked side-by-side with Ken in the vineyards and became the Vineyard Manger, while their daughter, Rebecca, became the General Manager of the winery. Rebecca’s daughter, Jillian, was born in 2005, the same year the winery’s first red blend was produced, appropriately named Jillian’s Blend (and it happens to be Laird Family Estate’s most popular wine). Justin’s daughter, Megan, works in finance in New York City. His son, David, is continuing the family’s farming legacy by working with his dad in the vineyards.
Vineyard:
Winemaker: Brian Mox
The vineyard holdings possess a cross section of geomorphic and microclimate idiosyncrasies that are poised to produce particular grape varieties that thrive in their desired terroir.
From the thick fog and marine winds in Carneros to the volcanic soils mixed with ancient coastal deposits in the lower bench of the Mayacamas Mountains, they farm their vineyards to produce fruit that best complements the hallmarks of the land.
Try these Similar In Stock Wines
Laird Jillians Red Blend is made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot
21 months in 75% French Oak and 25% American Oak (40% new and 60% neutral)
Vineyard: Cabernet Sauvignon (60% Mast Ranch + 40% Linda Vista Ranch), Syrah (100% Eagle Vines Ranch), Merlot (100% Big Ranch), Malbec (100% Flat Rock Ranch) and Petit Verdot (100% Flat Rock Ranch).
Appellation: Napa Valley
Our family has been proudly growing grapes in Napa Valley for two generations; this unique fusion of four varietals honors the youngest member of the third generation in our farming family, our daughter Jillian. This Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend with a twist of Rhone is structured, but easy to drink. Jillian’s is the only blend we make and it’s our most popular red wine.
Tasting Notes: Complex and precocious just like the real Jillian. Its deep, ruby red appearance accompanied by viscous legs leads the way to a seductive bouquet of toasted oak, lavender and ripe strawberries. A medium bodied palate, with delicate tannins and acidity, leads the way to tart dusty cherries and boysenberries that dance across your palate, while flavors of clove, vanilla and blueberry custard unfold on the finish.
Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot
Another stellar bottling, the 2018 Pere de Famille is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. Displaying a deep ruby color at the core and firm red ruby rim, the nose opens to the mineral tension expected of Red Mountain with a dark red-fruited essence, black cherry, dark plum and dusty raspberry with an elegant oak richness and dusty red flower petals. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is rich and mineral on the palate, showing a spicy cinnamon tone that builds with a firm tannic grip. As the wine sits on the palate, it unpacks more of its complexities, showing precision and finesse. A brilliant wine, it ends with a long, lingering finish that will show beautifully for more than a decade. Absolutely delicious.
Review:
"This is a wine for the ages. Aromas of thyme, the blackest of cherries, licorice, bay leaf and spice are followed by outright delicious, plump fruit flavors. There's a whole lot of primary fruit, with ample structure to hang it all on, along with plenty of depth and intensity. The finish is near endless. It flat-out impresses, with remarkable intensity. Best from 2028 to 2038. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN."
- Wine Enthusiast (September 2021), 95 pts
"A firm, polished red with aromas of blackberry, iodine, tobacco leaf, cocoa and cedar. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Structured, layered and focused. Lots going on, with a long finish. Try from 2023."
- James Suckling (May 2021), 95 pts
"Incorporating 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from a mix of sites in the Columbia Valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Père De Famille reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue to go with beautiful cassis fruits interwoven with notions of dried rose petals, violets, cedary spice, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied, reasonably well concentrated, yet elegant and beautifully balanced, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95 pts
High gloss metallic paint with a forged iron big-block under the hood - our 2018 Hillstone Vineyard is a real show car. Deeply fruited with hi-tone huckleberry from a prime hillside site in Rutherford, the wine has a thick powerband with crushed stone and coffee bean, retaining polish and precision straight through the tail pipes.
Review:
Lots of pure cassis and blueberry- like fruits as well as licorice, graphite, and crushed rock-like minerality, emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillstone Vineyard. It's a full-bodied, opulent, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon that doesn't pull any punches on the fruit or texture scale, yet has ripe, present tannins, a light, elegant texture, and a great finish. Give bottles an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon, or better yet, hide bottles for 2-3 years. It's going to evolve for 15+ years in cold cellars.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Lokoya Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
There is nothing like that moment when you are racing sailboats, heading downwind at 20 knots, and you rise on a swell and feel the boat launch. The 2018 Spring Mountain is a similar sensation; it is a rush of concentrated flavor and perfume carried by a swell of acidity that moves across the breadth of your palate. Each new sip represents a rounding of the mark as you head for the finish line. Offering an incredible nose of cherry blossom aromatics, flavors of raspberry jam and Maraschino cherries, lifted acidity, and sweet finishing tannins, the 2018 vintage from Spring Mountain is just sensational.
Review:
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District is a monster of a mountain Cabernet that has a primordial bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked earth, chocolate, and graphite. While Spring Mountain wines tend to be more aromatic and complex right out of the gate, that’s not the case here, and this is going to need bottle age to round into form. Full-bodied on the palate, with a rich, concentrated mouthfeel, it has serious tannins, notable purity of fruit, and a great finish. With air, it picks up more and more classic Spring Mountain floral and exotic notes, and it’s flawlessly balanced, with gorgeous tannins and a great, great finish. This is a brilliant wine in the lineup and unquestionably one of the true gems from Spring Mountain in 2018. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.
-Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain was aged in French oak for 22 months, 92% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a little closed to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal earthy/rocky scents over a core of black currants, blackberries and mulberries with emerging hints of pencil lead and green peppercorns. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness with loads of mineral suggestions intertwined with the black fruits, finishing long with some evocative floral notes coming through
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 97 Points
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a wine of tremendous power and gravitas. Inky dark fruit, graphite, cured meat and smoke all meld together in a virile, imposing wine loaded with character. | would cellar the 2018 for at least a few years, 1s it is quite the powerhouse. Swaths of imposing Howell Mountain tannins wrap around the palate. Even so, the 2018 has more than enough volume and resonance to balance things out.
- Antonio Galloni 97 Points
Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) Cabernet Franc (8%) Merlot (3%) Malbec (2%) Petit Verdot (1%) .
Located on the hillsides of Knights Valley, near Calistoga, this vineyard benefits from its proximity to Mount St. Helena, whose warm and windy climate is ideal for the long ripening of the Bordeaux red varietals. Handcrafted by using classical winemaking techniques, this special wine is dedicated to our son, Paul Morlet.
Dark red with a hue of purple. Intense and complex bouquet of red, black and blue berries intermixed with notes of blueberries, minerals (graphite, wet river rocks) licorice, fresh blond tobacco and a hint of lavender. Full bodied, the palate is reminiscent of the nose, with a richly tannic yet round frame and a great intensity. The hillside tannins and the classical aromatic complexity create a harmonious ensemble, leading to a very long and elegant finish. Built to age for decades, this collectible wine opens up after a few years of cellaring and is particularly representative of this special vineyard from the hillside of Knights Valley. Mon Chevalier features the interaction of the loamy, well drained and rocky volcanic soil, the typical sunny mountain climate and the low-interventionistic Morlet winemaking approach.
Property Name: Mon Chevalier
Name Meaning My Knight Named after our son, Paul Morlet
Type of wine Vineyard designated
Appellation Knights Valley
Vineyard singularity Morlet Family Estate Hillside 1100-1200 feet elevation Rhyolitic, loam & volcanic ash
Typical harvest date End of October
Picking Manual, small lugs, refer truck
Sorting Cluster by cluster, berry per berry
Fermentation Through native yeast Tank and Puncheons
Upbringing 16 months French oak from artisan coopers
Bottling Unfiltered
Cellaring time Decades
Serving Room temperature
Decanting recommended
Review:
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier comes from the Knights Valley, just north of Napa Valley in the larger Sonoma County, and it always seems to me to have one foot in Napa and one foot in Sonoma. Boasting a similar ruby/purple color (as do all of the releases here), it’s slightly more reserved and stately (knightly, if you will), with building aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, toasted bread, dried violets, baking spices, and loamy earth. These carry to a pure, full-bodied, multi-dimensional Cabernet that’s flawlessly balanced, has ripe yet certainly present tannins, a notable sense of minerality, and a great, great finish. It’s just another incredible wine from Luc Morlet that can be drunk today with ample pleasure or cellared for 20-30 years if, for some reason, you feel the need to delay gratification.
-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points
Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon Neyers Ranch is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
"We harvested the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon crop from our Conn Valley Ranch in the first week of October, a week later than we picked the same vineyard the prior year. The size of the crop was about 20% smaller in 2017 as well, mostly due to the cold, wet weather we experienced in spring during flowering. Grapevines are self-pollinating, and cold, windy or damp weather interferes with this process, a problem known the French call coulure. Ironically, the harsh spring weather of 2017 had a huge impact on the size of our crop. Still, this smaller crop ripened fully and evenly, and at harvest time we picked beautiful, dark-colored clusters under near-perfect conditions. The finished wine was immediately remarkable for its flavor and complexity, and the wine looks to be one that will improve for many years. During my career in the Napa Valley wine business, I’ve learned to expect the best wines from cold years like 2017. These are vintages that are viewed initially with lowered expectations, but my experience has been just the opposite. Going back to my first Napa Valley harvest in 1971, these ‘colder years’ invariably result in wines with brighter, more attractive flavors, and the wines age longer and more gracefully.
Following harvest, the wine was fermented using wild, native yeast in an temperature-controlled stainless steel tank. After 45 days or so, the tank was drained and the pomace pressed, and the wine transferred to 60-gallon French oak barrels, 25% of them new. During the first year, we racked the wine off of the yeast lees three times, and by May 2019 it had been sufficiently clarified to bottle without fining or filtration. I am especially impressed by its bright ruby hue, a color so commanding it reminded me of the 1995 red Bordeaux wines I tasted from barrel during my trip to France in the Spring of 1996. It’s loaded with flavors that range from wild cherry to chocolate, enhanced by the lovely hint of tobacco leaf and mint. Each aromatic component has its own individual fascination, but all of them together provide a remarkable experience. Here’s a complete Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that we expect it to improve for 20 years. It's a from a very small crop that will provide decades of pleasure." - Bruce Neyers
Review:
Earthy, tannic and young, this wine brims in black fruit, cedar and tobacco that are accented by black olive and crushed rock. With substantial midpalate weight, it takes time to integrate, finding a cohesive conclusion on the long finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
- back
Exceptionally aromatic with aromas of violets, hints of blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum on the nose. There is some spice that is balanced with fresh acidity and minerality. A long finish with ripe but firm tannins.
Dow's Senhora da Ribeira can be enjoyed anytime and pairs wonderfully with chocolate desserts and soft cheeses like creamy Stilton or Roquefort.
Review:
Rich and fruity, this wine is packed with intense black-currant flavors. It is perfumed, ripe with a good tannic background. The density of the wine and the firm structure point to a long aging process. Drink this beautifully structured wine from 2026.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Winemaking:
Senhora da Ribeira has one of the most advanced specialist wineries in the Douro, combining the best of traditional winemaking practice, evolved over centuries, and the latest state-of-the-art automated systems. Three granite ‘lagares’ for foot treading are complemented by three ‘robotic’ lagares, designed by the Symington family and installed in the quinta’s winery in 2001.
It has long been recognised that traditional treading produced some of the finest Ports, but there are some drawbacks involved in traditional treading; temperature control is difficult, there is a limit to how long people are willing to tread and they need to sleep. The winemaker’s options are therefore limited, he or she cannot order treading at different times through the night, or pull people off the picking team at will. Furthermore, emptying the traditional lagar takes a long time; in the meantime the fermentation process is accelerating away. A further handicap arose over recent years, when an increasing scarcity of labour obliged producers to look for less labour-intensive vinification solutions. The Symingtons opted to devise a mechanical means of replicating the proven method of foot treading. The result was the Symington ‘robotic lagar’, an automated treading machine which exactly replicates the gentle action of the human foot and which has revolutionised winemaking in the Douro Valley. This equipment is very expensive but the results have been so good that an increasing proportion of Dow’s finest wines are now made in these automated lagares. Approximately half of the wines for Dow’s much praised 2003 Vintage were vinified in them.
The Senhora da Ribeira’s Quinta Vintage Ports have amassed a highly impressive number of awards: three Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge, (2008, 2006 and 2001, for the 2005, 2002 and 1999 Vintages, respectively) as well as seven Silver Medals and two Gold Medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (London, 2008 for the 2005 Vintage and 2002 for the 1998 Vintage). In September 2006, Jancis Robinson MW wrote, “One very exciting new bottling is Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2004...this single quinta bottling demonstrates superb quality with wonderful vibrancy. Great wine in any context - not that unlike some California reds! This is definitely a wine to look out for when it is released.”
Wine Profile
The very hot climate through the summer at this vineyard results in highly complex and concentrated wines but very low yields. Colours of the musts in the fermentation tanks are always purple-black due to the very high skin to juice ratio. The old vines add further to the intensity of the wine as they make up a very large percentage of the vineyard. The resulting wine can be described as being the essence of Vintage Port, with powerful wild red-fruit flavours, leading into rich black chocolate notes, the whole balanced by complex, attractive and peppery tannins.
One of the Douro’s most beautiful vineyards, Senhora da Ribeira is located 24km (15 miles) upriver from Quinta do Bomfim in the remote Douro Superior. The vineyard commands a magnificent north bank position, overlooking a broad sweep of the Douro, directly opposite another famous Symington owned vineyard: Quinta do Vesuvio. Senhora de Ribeira was built close to an ancient river crossing, guarded by two 12th century castles on either side of the river built by the Moors during their centuries long occupation of Iberia. A small chapel dedicated to the ‘Lady of the River’ (literally: Senhora da Ribeira) has stood here for centuries and gave the quinta its name. Travellers would pause here to ask for a safe river passage and onward journey.
Senhora da Ribeira’s wines are some of the finest in the Douro and they complement those from Bomfim in the composition of Dow’s classic Vintage Ports. The quinta’s high proportion of old vines (45% are over 25 years old) is of critical importance. The old vines are very low-yielding, producing on average less than 1Kg of grapes each, giving intense and concentrated musts which are ideal for classic Vintage Port. The remainder of the vineyard was replanted as follows: 21% in 2001 and 34% from 2004, the latter involving mainly Touriga Nacional vines. This grape variety - very important for Vintage Port - now represents almost exactly a third of the total planted at the quinta. The entire vineyard has the maximum ‘A’ rating.
As with Bomfim, the consistency of the climate plays a key role, although the rainfall is only half of that experienced at Bomfim: 448mm is the 10 year average. This more extreme climate, hot dry summers and cold, equally dry winters results in wines with unique depth of colour and complexity.
As with Quinta do Bomfim, the best Ports from Senhora de Ribeira are used to make Dow’s Vintage Ports in the great and rare ‘Declared’ years. In the good year’s when Dow’s does not ‘declare’ a Vintage, the best wines of ‘The Lady of the River’ are bottled as Dow’s Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Port. They will tend to mature a little earlier than the very rare ‘Declared’ years, but can be every bit as good as some other Vintage Ports.
La Crema Fog Veil Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
A lush, earthy, and balanced Pinot Noir from select estate vineyards in California's famous Russian River Valley. This red wine opens with aromas of wild strawberry, blackberry, and cardamom. Flavors of boysenberry, raspberry, and sassafras with hints of baking spice. Soft tannins are balanced by vibrant acidity. This Red Wine has a Cork closure. Alcohol Content: 14.8% Pair with grilled filet mignon, bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and camembert. Aromas of wild strawberry, blackberry, and cardamom. Flavors of boysenberry, raspberry, and sassafras with hints of baking spice. Soft tannins are balanced by vibrant acidity.
Review:
Tremendous energy is conveyed through a guiding light of spiced cher- rywood and notes of tea leaves and flint. Rich and concentrated, with a hint of smoked cedar on the finish. The grapes come from neighboring estate vineyards in the Santa Rosa Plains region of the Russian River Valley.
-Tasting Panel 94 Points
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