Zeitgeist Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2018

Overview of the Wine

Zeitgeist Cellars is a collaboration between husband and wife winemaking team, Jennifer Williams (SPOTTSWOOD, ARROW AND BRAND) and Mark Porembski (Anomaly Vineyards, Unwritten WINES AND Band of Vintners). With two winemakers in one wine project, we find that when it comes to taste, there are plenty of opinions! Yet we thrive on the creative conflict of working so closely together.  Zeitgeist is a product of this intimacy. We are a hands-on team carefully performing all of the work ourselves. We intend our wines to be delicious and pure, reflecting the spirit of the times.

ZEITGEIST (tsit- gist) is a philosophical term meaning the spirit of the times. The word was coined by the German Romanticists to describe the cultural, ethical and spiritual mood of an era. We believe wine allows us to conjure up our very own distinct place in this time and culture. With each bottling, our intent is that the wine embodies the spirit of the vintage and the shared winemaking and viticulture philosophies of this era. And each cork pulled over dinner, stimulates conversation contributing to our shared zeitgeist.

We’ve committed to a handful of carefully chosen vineyards, sort vigilantly through the fruit at harvest, and bottle only the best barrels. Our goal is to be thoughtful in our approach and simple in our methods. We make each exceptionally small batch of wine ourselves and guide them carefully through fermentation and aging. The results are two beautiful Heritage white varietals and a small stable of excellent Cabernet Sauvignons.

Grape / Blend
99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc

Origin
Napa Valley, California 

Winemaker Tasting Notes
What a stunning vintage; 2019's are smooth, approachable and delicious wines. We find freshly roasted coffee beans, dark plum, Bing cherry, anise, and blackberry compote on the nose. The 2019 broadens across our palate with a wide, juicy tension that is undeniably mouth-watering. We adore the counterpoint between the succulence of the fruit and density of the flavor. The critics are already raving about 2019 in Napa, and we can attest!

We are incredibly excited to include a new vineyard in our Napa blend. The Rafael Vineyard, north and west of the city of the Napa, located on a majestic ridge above Dry Creek Road, was planted in the 1980's. The old vines there lend a mature and confident quality to the blend and we look forward to working with this historic site for many years.

94+ Points - IAN BLACKBURN

THIS MAYBE THE BEST CAB UNDER $100 FROM NAPA - I start my review with an outrageous claim, the wine backs it up.  Great vineyard sources, top winemaking team, tiny production - this checks so many boxes... the wine is 3-D - dense, dark and dramatic in the glass - benchmark cabernet fruit salad - cassis, plums, cherry's, wonderful definition - complex nose of eucalyptus, vanilla, tobacco, black olive and a touch of sweet napa valley dust...structured - balance - big and bold but with daft finesse.  I see the reviews of others and think they are now too conservative - tasted March 3, 2023 - I want to upgrade this review Color 14/ Aroma 23.5/ Body 23.5/ Overall 33/35 - 94 points plus 

93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Readers looking for a great Napa Valley Cabernet under $100 should snatch up the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley from Zeitgeist. Just about all Cabernet (there is 1% Cabernet Franc) sourced from a slew of great sites (Sleeping Lady, Oakville Station, Lewelling, etc.), it offers a medium to full-bodied, upfront, yet impeccably balanced, classic style as well as impressive notes of blue fruits, violets, and flowers. The oak is nicely integrated and it has plenty of mid-palate depth, followed by a great finish.

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes barreling out of the glass with lively notes of fresh, ripe blackcurrants, black cherries, warm plums and menthol with suggestions of chocolate box and fennel seed. The full-bodied palate is softly textured with well-balanced acidity lifting the bright, crunchy black fruits to a long, purely expressed finish. 357 cases were made.

Product size: 750ml