95 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2018 Isthmus is made up of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot from the Nuns Canyon and Hamel Family Ranch Vineyards. Notably, it was matured for 12 months in 26% new French oak barrels and transferred to concrete tanks for an additional 17 months’ maturation. Deep ruby in color, the nose features blackcurrants and cherries with slowly emerging wafts of tobacco, charcuterie, graphite and dried herbs. The medium-bodied palate is powdery and seamless, its structural balance giving it a featherweight feel in the mouth. Fresh, smooth, long and layered, it’s an easy-drinking yet complex meritage that will benefit from another 2-3 years in bottle to unwind.
93 Points (Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast
From the Sonoma Valley-based producer’s two estates, Hamel Family and Nun’s Canyon, this blends a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Thick, herbal and tannic in its youth, it has complex tones of iron, crushed rock and elusively tart, tangy fruit at its core, strong and powerful in concentration and structure. Enjoy best from 2028 through 2038.