2018 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Spectator, James Molesworth

This features a well-endowed core of warmed cassis and steeped plum fruit here, splashed with a sassafras note and backed by roasted applewood and melted black licorice on the finish. Rich in feel throughout. Best from 2022 through 2034. 93 points (October 2021)

The Tasting Panel, Meredith May

This label from Spottswoode is produced by the Novak family and winemaker/vineyard manager Aron Weinkauf. The blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with some Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cab Franc features notes of powdered violets that converge with graphite, drying the palate while also providing intense aromatics. Dense and tarry blackberry appears amid a grapey boldness that proves sturdy. Mouth-coating tannins wet the palate. 95 points (September/October 2021)

Wine Advocate, Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The deep purple-black colored 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of fresh blackcurrants, black raspberries and Morello cherries plus hints of lavender, pencil lead and bouquet garni with a touch of Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with electric energy, framed by grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with great intensity and purity. 92 points (November 5, 2020)

Jebdunnuck.com, Jeb Dunnuck

Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Under $100
A wine well worth purchasing and cellaring, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst sports a dense purple hue as well as classic Cabernet notes of blackcurrants, Asian spices, violets, licorice, and tobacco. Beautifully rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it’s one heck of a second wine that can be drunk today or cellared for 15-20 years. 94 points (January 28, 2021)

Vinous, Antonio Galloni

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is a fabulous wine that shows just how compelling the vintage is, even among mid-tier offerings. Blackberry, graphite, cloves, licorice and lavender all build in the glass. The Lyndenhurst Cabernet is usually much more approachable, but the 2018 is a real powerhouse. I would give the tannins at least a few years to soften. This is impressive, to say the least. 94 points (March 4, 2021)

Wine Review Online, Michael Franz

This is wicked good Napa Cabernet, built for the long haul and capable of 2 decades of positive development. That should be the first thing noted about the wine, which is a click down from the Estate Cabernet produced solely from Spottswoode’s supremely enviable site in St. Helena — but several clicks up from the vast majority of other Napa Cabs. The fruit for this bottling is partly estate grown but augmented by grapes sourced from 5 or 6 other sites in various locations across the broader Napa appellation. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Malbec 7%, Merlot 6%, Petit Verdot 5% and Cabernet Franc 2%, with 20 months of aging in mostly French oak casks, 57% of them new. The aromas are open and expressive, with spicy, toasty notes accenting dark berry fruit scents. On the palate, the wine shows impressive physical density with firm structure from robust tannins and notable wood influence, though the proportions are well measured. It would be a mistake to open this in fewer than 5 years, as both integration, softness and complexity will all be significantly enhanced over that span. However, as mistakes go, hitting this now would be a very minor infraction, as the wine is delicious if decanted vigorously and paired with cheeses or a juicy steak. This fully displays the conscientiousness and artistry of Spottswoode, one of America’s premier producers. 96 points (July 27, 2021)

Jamessuckling.com, James Suckling

Black plums, blueberries, chocolate, cloves and dried leaves. Black olives, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Chewy, generous layers of dark fruit and chocolate. Try from 2022. 93 points (January 27, 2021)

Wine.com, Wilfred Wong

The 2018 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon offers an incredible glimpse at one of the best red wine grapes in the world. This wine brings aromas and flavors of blackberries, scorched earth, dried fruits, oak, and a hint of perfume into the mix. Enjoy it with thinly-sliced, grilled beef in a mix of fresh garden greens. 95 points (June 2021)

Vinography, Alder Yarrow

Last, and certainly not least, I’ve got the mind-bending second-label wine from Spottswoode Winery in Napa. Why mind-bending? Because this $85 Napa Cabernet is better than wines three times its price. Plenty of estates would give (or should give) their right arm to make a flagship wine this good. It doesn’t hurt that this wine comes from a spectacular vintage (2018) and is the product of some organic and biodynamically farmed vineyards. Named after the linden trees that bloom in the estate’s gardens, Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet is one of Napa’s great values and one I find myself buying frequently at restaurants whenever I see it, as it is often much easier to stomach at restaurant markups than many other Napa Cabernets.

Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry and blackcurrant with hints of tobacco leaf. In the mouth, juicy black cherry and cassis flavors have a hint of cola and herbs to them. Beautiful, fine-grained tannins have a light, athletic profile, and notes of dried herbs linger in the finish. This is a refined, impeccably balanced wine, with a fabulous tension between fruit and savory herbal notes. It will age beautifully. It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around that this is the ‘second label’ wine, given how damn good it is. Between 9 and 9.5/10 points (July 2021)

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