The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

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The Mascot cabernet sauvignon – from the young vines of HARLAN ESTATE, BOND, and PROMONTORY – is about as head-spinning and delectable as Napa cab gets. If you want something special – but don’t want to shell out $500, $800, $1000, or more for one of the Harlan’s top tiers...this is just a fantastic option at a great price!

This wine was born from the Harlan family’s own table wine, which was made by the young vines of the Harlan and Bond estates, and created into a more friendly, softer style that wouldn’t require the years (decades?) of aging that their flagships all command. They came to love the wine so much they insisted that the winemaking team bottle some for release, and there you have it...The Mascot was born.

With a first vintage in 2008, this is still a relatively new project, and this 2018 vintage is fantastic! One of the best we’ve ever had, to be certain, with all the pedigree, power, and purpose that one would expect from the Harlan family of wines in the epic 2018 vintage. Napa cabernets across the valley soared in that pristine growing season, but these Harlan plots were just exceptional!

Promontory, for instance, took home 4, yes FOUR 100-point scores in 2018, with another two for Harlan, and a final 100-point score for Bond. The Mascot is never submitted for scores as a rule, but man… that is a pedigree that is simply impossible to ignore. We’re talking the same vineyards as the big boys (Harlan and Promontory’s estates, plus Bond’s Melbury, Quella, St. Eden, Vecina, and Pluribus!), with the enigmatic young phenom, Cory Empting, leading the winemaking, all aged for nearly 3 years in barrel, sourced from the 5-12 year old vines on the various properties. Another 18+ months in bottle brings this harmonious and transcendental beauty into perfect balance. Vastly delicious, deep, and complex wine with beautifully harmonious sweet blue and black fruits, graphite, mocha, cigar box spice, and a long, skin-tingling finish. It is everything one would look for in classy, bold, and supremely polished Napa cabernets.

PAIRING IDEAS: Pony up for a big ol’ cowboy ribeye on this beast. Sear it over an actual live fire, transfer to a skillet with thyme and a couple of cloves of garlic, and then baste and baste some more with butter...don’t be shy. You’ve earned this.