Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Corley Yewell Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Saint Helena AVA, Napa Valley – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Crafted by Chris Corley, one of Napa’s most consistent and visionary winemakers, this single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Yewell Vineyard in Saint Helena, a site known for its intensity and structure. The 2018 vintage was one of Napa’s most balanced years in recent memory, giving this wine both depth and refinement.

Aromas & Flavors
Opens with a generous nose of blackberry, cassis, and ripe plum layered with dark chocolate, graphite, and subtle cigar box spice. On the palate, concentrated black fruits mingle with licorice, espresso, and a faint herbal lift, showing both power and finesse.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with a muscular yet polished tannin structure, seamless integration of oak, and a long, velvety finish. The balance of fruit intensity, acidity, and texture makes this Cabernet age-worthy but approachable with decanting.

Winemaking Notes
Aged in French oak, with Chris Corley’s hallmark precision of blending power and elegance, the wine showcases both vineyard expression and vintage purity.

Food Pairing
Ideal with ribeye, braised short ribs, or herb-roasted lamb. It can also elevate a cheese course with aged Gouda or blue cheese.

Verdict
A masterful Napa Cabernet from an exceptional vintage — bold yet graceful, structured yet inviting. One of those bottles that reminds you why Napa’s single-vineyard expressions stand among the world’s great wines.

Personal Pick Highlight
I’ve had the privilege of sharing a wine class with Chris Corley himself, and that connection makes tasting his wines even more special. His precision, humility, and brilliance shine through in every bottle — this one included. Truly spectacular. Cheers — 23 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

A member of our Tasting Group provided this bottle from his cellar. It had been opened 90 minutes prior to service, poured into a decanter and, in typical Tasting Group fashion, presented double-blind. Appearance: a deep, slightly turbid, garnet color with some very slight browning towards the rim. Medium intensity. Medium viscosity. On the nose this was fully developed with notes of red and dark fruit, grilled Poblano pepper, leather, and sweet pipe tobacco and baking spices. I felt certain, from the bouquet alone, that we were in the presence of a wine that had seen some significant age. On the palate, a mix of dried fruits including cherries, dates and figs with milk chocolate, nuts, leather, and tobacco. Plush mouthfeel. The tannins were medium and fully integrated at this point. Acid was medium+ which provided youthful energy. The finish was long, lovely. In fact, the flavor on the finish reminded me a bit of a Palmer Twin Bing. I called Napa Cabernet from the 1990 vintage. I was pretty darned close! This bottle was hitting right now and well-stored examples should continue to drink well over the next 5-10 years. — 4 years ago

Seth Masterson

9.0

Perfectly ripe red fruit condition, Red plum and red cherry. Secondary black plum.
Texture is rounded and soft with a good acid balance.

Too much new oak for my preference, it distracts from the quality of the fruit. — 5 months ago

Andrea Silverstein

9.5

Very rich, full bodied with tobacco notes — 4 years ago

Stephanie Arend

9.5

Full bodied, full of flavor — 4 years ago

David Bettencourt

8.9

Blueberry, strawberry, vanilla, lemongrass combine with a hint of honeysuckle on the nose. It needed about 30 minutes to open up and it was very reserved with the first pour. The oak hits hard with strong cherry flavor as you drink this 2016 vintage. Paired nicely with a shrimp, scallop and lobster fra diavlo linguine, but needed food. On its own it was a bit tight and dry. — 5 years ago

Conrad Green

9.0

Ripe and lush in the nose. Golden in color. Nice resolved fruit with dried apricot and an orange peel hint. Good pose and balance still. — 2 years ago

with Paul and Ara

Scott Cowan

9.0

Excellent QPR @ $28 for the 2017 vintage at Rustic Bakery (always a lovely soot for excellent pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads..,and now also a bit of a wine shop?!?) Day 1: more the cherry of cough syrup at the very first sip but that quickly turned to more rounded cherry vanilla cola w/in five mins of aeration. RASPBERRY mid-palate and socko heat plus finish with that delightful taste of vanilla associated with time in Toasted French Oak barrels mingling with blackberry leaves and dark bing cherry in that longer (and hotter) finish than any other pinot under $40 I’ve ever found stateside. Day 2 (under argon gas) zero of the sweet cough syrup and all above deliciousness plus more rounded mouthfeel. — 4 years ago

Pablo Cetlinski

10

On of the undiscovered single vineyard Cabs of Napa. Bordeaux finesse and Napa deepness. — 4 years ago

JKT

9.2

Another surprise of an unknown old style Cab. Might be first vintage of Jay Corley Monticello Vineyard in Oakville Knoll? Said to go for lighter style “dinner wine” which is on the mark. 12.5% ABV! Old school or what? Not just alive but lively and lovely with all that ripe prune fruits and earth and leather. held up very well in Eto over four days. Upping to 9.2. PS yes it is the first vintage of Monticello Vineyard and available as library wine on their site for $210! Shout out to Ira Schwartz's metaphor in his post on a '70 Mayacaymus Zin as pure joy of dancing with ones grandma, this one is like dancing with grandmother who trained as a ballerina and still has the style and posture! Amazement now laced with Heh heh value find satisfaction. AA14. — 5 years ago