The 2018 Ciel Du Cheval is based on 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. It comes from unquestionably one of the top vineyards on Red Mountain and spent 18 months in French oak. Lots of classic Red Mountain tannins and minerality as well as notes of cassis, currants, dried herbs, graphite, and loamy soil define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied and wonderfully balanced, with a round, expansive mouthfeel and a great finish. Well worth seeking out, it’s going to deliver the goods for a solid two decades.

The beautiful 2018 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Wine has many moving parts. It’s made from 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Cabernet Franc with smaller amounts of Merlot and a good dollop of Petit Verdot (12%). Garrigue and green bell pepper notes pop off from the PV as suggestions of tar, anise and volcanic ash aromas brilliantly combine. The palate shows serious heft without coming off overly heavy. Seamless, with plenty of ripe dark fruits, chocolate and tobacco flavors, this is elegant Red Mountain personified. Try to resist this beauty for at least another year, and then give it two hours in the decanter. -- Owen Bargreen

This wine, which will be the winery's last from this vineyard as it focuses on estate wines going forward, is a true Bordeaux style blend: 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot and 12% Petit Verdot. The aromas are reserved, with notes of cherry, scorched earth and spice. Herb and cherry flavors follow. The structure this winery is known for is there in abundance. Best after 2027. SEAN P. SULLIVAN

A blend of 42% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot, the 2018 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard displays a deep ruby color at its core with a dark magenta rim. Aromas of dusty black cherry skin, juicy plum and soft savory herbs sway out of the glass with a soft rustic element of worn leather and wilted lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the blend has a focused and balanced palate offering up layers of complexity and fine-grained tannins. Ending with a food-friendly finish, the blend will have no challenges lasting for a decade. - AM

This blends 70 percent cabernets sauvignon and franc, the rest merlot and petit verdot, mostly from vines planted in the mid-’90s. The savor in this wine hints at vine age: scents of sundried tomato, cedar and sandalwood. The flavors are all plum and blackberry, its plum-skin tannins framing a plump middle, and plenty of extract for something formidable off the grill, like ribs. —P.J.C.