98+Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine has a deep purple-black color and slips out of the glass with the most seductive black fruit preserves notions of crème de cassis, blueberry pie and baked plums plus hints of Indian spices, lavender, mocha and licorice with a waft of cardamom. Full-bodied, rich, opulent and spicy, it delivers a wonderfully powerful expression of this vintage with firm yet plush tannins, finishing very long and hedonic.
97 Wine Spectator
What a show of ripe, pure and unadorned fruit, with an immense core of cassis, warmed kirsch and black Mission fig paste flavors that glide through as they're given center stage, while beautifully integrated alder and warm earth notes flow underneath. There's serious drive for the long haul, with flickers of anise and violet darting in on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2040. 735 cases made. — JM
currant, blackberry, cherry, bell pepper, olive, asparagus, spice, ginger, oak, vanilla, tobacco, raspberry, cassis, violet, pepper, green bean, black cherry, plum, smoke, toast, tar, lead, cedar, molasses and dark fruit