2018 Palazzo "Reserve" Napa Valley Proprietary Red

(94 points) “The 2018 Right Bank Proprietary Red Reserve checks in as mostly Merlot yet includes 24% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Raised in 40% new barrels, it has a perfumed, exotic nose of uber-ripe black cherries, blueberries, ginger, and baking spices. Full-bodied on the palate, it’s a blockbuster styled effort with sweet tannins and a great finish. It pushes on the ripeness scale (although the alcohol and pH are rock-solid), but it stays in check and is joy to drink. Drink bottles over the coming decade. (JD)” (5/2022) Jeb Dunnuck