94 Points: Exciting, distinctive; a wine that transcends simple typicity to its region or variety; a vivid, singular expression of place – “Though Steve MacRostie and his winemaker, Heidi Bridenhagen, are best known for chardonnay and pinot noir from their home base in the Russian River Valley and the coast, they produce this new label at their Eighth Street Winery in the town of Sonoma. They purchased the fruit for this cabernet from a vineyard in western Yountville, close to the Oakville border, though they have agreed not to release the name. They went for a muscular style of cabernet, pushing for full extraction, attaining that power and grip while still sustaining supple grace in the tannins. It’s lovely benchland juice, the earthy-brisk tannins suffused with cherry and blueberry highlights up front, so you can almost feel the tannins integrated into the scent of the wine. The wine’s energy pours out in the finish, a spout of blackberry and black currant flavors, a pure flavor of cabernet sauvignon.” – Josh Greene, October 2019, Wine & Spirits