Intense aromas of blackberry and cassis meet with smoked meats, strong oak and light herbs on the toasty, layered nose of this bottling, which includes 21% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Chipped wood flavors decorate the dark-fruit and roasted herb core of the palate. (MK)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is terrific. In this vintage, the Estate is especially savory and mineral, perhaps with a bit less immediacy than it can show. For that reason, I would prefer to cellar it for at least a few years. Blueberry, blackberry, graphite, licorice, cloves, lavender and sage all build into the incisive finish. Impressive. (AG)

Never flamboyant yet a keen and very concise offering that, after a somewhat restrained aromatic start, unfolds in the glass to reveal fresh, blackberry- and cherry-like fruit trimmed with deft touches of dried herbs, woodsy spice and the tell-tale loamy notes of classic Cabernet Sauvignon, this moderately full-bodied youngster fits the well-structured Ridge model to a tee. Still a bit tight on the palate, it is a wine destined to age famously for a decade, if not more, and, in the manner of its maker, reminds that layering, detail and real depth are in no way dependent on extravagant ripeness. *Two Stars*