ZD Wines, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

 When this wine is on its game, it is a qualitative comparison threat to anything made anywhere, and in the 50th Anniversary of this producer, it is definitely on its game.  Essentially opaque all the way to the rim even when tipped and peered at with a white background, one knows something is serious is on the way even before getting a nose in the glass.  That initial impression is corroborated at every subsequent stage, with very expressive and detailed aromas, excellent physical density and depth of flavor, and a finish that is impressively long and — more important still — symmetrical, with fruit, wood, tannin and acidity all tailing off in sync.  Although the wine is a decade or more away from its ultimate apogee, it is already extremely impressive and enjoyable on account of its uncanny balance.  Nothing “sticks out” and yet everything sticks out, which is very high praise in my book for such a young wine with so much sheer size and ambition.  If my score of 98 points is off, I missed on the low side, and only time will tell in that regard.  In any event, this is awe-inspiring wine.  A Platinum Award winner at the 2022 San Diego International Wine and Spirits Challenge.