ELEVEN ELEVEN
X∙I ESTATE CABERNET
2018 OAK KNOLL DISTRICT
Eleven Eleven is a new winery producing exciting wines out of their state-of-the-art production facility near downtown Napa. Winemaker Kirk Venge creates them in a powerfully captivating style that’s elegantly balanced and enriched with nuance. Their 2018 X∙I Estate Cabernet perfectly reflects the winery’s drive to make the best wines possible, and at $85, don’t miss this high-scoring Cab.
The 2018 release is nearly 90% Cabernet Sauvignon heightened with the other four most classic Bordeaux varieties; Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The wine spent almost two years developing in French oak barrels, and it’s rocking now.
The X∙I Estate Vineyard is in the Oak Knoll AVA, where the clay loam soils, combined with the San Pablo Bay cooling influences, are ideal for ripening Bordeaux varieties. The resulting wine is, as Vinous writes, “spectacularly rich” and “gorgeous in its style,” and at $85, it’s a stupendous value for top-quality Napa Cab.
ELEVEN ELEVEN
X∙I ESTATE CABERNET
2018 OAK KNOLL DISTRICT
Your Price: $85
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate will thrill readers who enjoy opulent Napa Valley wines. Inky dark fruit, dark chocolate, menthol, licorice and spice blast out of the glass. Unctuous and spectacularly rich, the 2018 is a gorgeous wine in its style. Plush, silky tannins round out the luxurious finish.”
94 Points
“Black garnet color. Aromas and flavors of boysenberry, eclairs, sassafras, sage, and licorice with a lightly tannic, vibrant, dryish full body and a warming, complex, long finish with moderate oak flavor. A dense and brooding Oak Knoll Cabernet for fabulous steaks; drink now through 2035.”
Gold Medal, Exceptional, Cellar Selection
94 Points
“I haven’t been this excited about unveiling a new wine in years. Finally, the secret is out! A true 5 varietal Estate Bordeaux Blend. Having the viticulture at your fingers to guide each of these plantings with just the right inputs and be blessed with a nearly perfect vintage like 2018 was a combination for success. I love the dark fruit and young tightly laced tannin feel. As young as these plantings are, I predict outstanding things in future years stemming from this, the XI inaugural release!”
Winemaker Kirk Venge