2018 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Carter

Community Tasting Note

GQG Likes this wine:

96 Points

Sunday, June 20, 2021 - Following Bad's and #1's 4 hour decant recommendation, I'm joining with them in confirming that it's kicking a** right now as Carters so often do in the early years. Not that it's a powerful behemoth that needs to be tamed by decanting, though, it actually stays in its lane from PnP sip to swallow. That would be the fast lane as it's no slouch! Right from PnP I found it delicious and accessible. Big, but not heavy, and its dark fruit, earth, minerals, and smooth texture grabs on in the attack, expands mid-palate with plenty of energy, and then eventually lets go after a lengthy finish. I'm impressed at this early stage.

I believe it's smoother than the 2016 Carter^2 yet just as full-bodied at the same point in time. If the 2019's are anywhere close to this 2018 Carter^2, I'm fully onboard.

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7 comments have been posted

Comment posted by #1Winelover:

6/21/2021 3:46:00 AM - Glad that you enjoyed it -- I agree that from PnP to the finish, it held its own!
Comment posted by Badmonkey:

6/21/2021 5:09:00 AM - Interesting that it showed that well as a pop/pour. Good to know. Take care.
Comment posted by NickRut:

6/21/2021 5:48:00 AM - A few 18's I've tasted have been good lately. A bit of a decant and things are starting to come around. Glad to hear this showed well. My opinion, based on my tasting with them, is that the 19 Carters are just about as good as the 18s, but definitely better early on. The 19s remind me of the 15s at this point based on the fruit up front. I'll be going all in.
Comment posted by #1Winelover:

6/21/2021 7:07:00 AM - That's interesting, Nick. I think that the '18s remind me of the '15s which were also closed and took a while to come around. The '19s remind me of the '16s. But that's why we have this forum!
Comment posted by GQG:

6/21/2021 10:04:00 AM - Bad, #1, & Nick -- I was also surprised that it was good at PNP which is unlike most of the other 2018's I've tried to date. It's also encouraging that the 2019 is being compared to either '15 or '16 (both great vintages) with their release and therefore purchasing decision imminent.
Comment posted by NickRut:

6/21/2021 10:15:00 AM - I'd say that 18 and 19 are similar in quality to 15 and 16 to me. I found both 15 and 16 accessible early with 15 being a bit bigger. My tastes could be off though. I think 18 will be incredible in 2-3 years (some are coming around now) while 19 will be great out of the gates. Glad to see two strong vintages since 20 will be super spotty in terms of actual releases. I'll probably go equally deep on 19s that I did on 18s.
Comment posted by Mark1npt:

6/21/2021 1:38:00 PM - Thanks for the notes on this one....much appreciated!