Robert Foley "Claret" Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend 2018

Jeb Dunnuck : 98 Points

(2/16/2023) Just about pure perfection, the 2018 Claret checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, brought up in just 30% new barrels. This incredible wine offers lifted perfumed aromatics of pure cassis, violets, spicy wood, and ripe tobacco that carry to a full-bodied, concentrated, yet elegant 2018 that shows the structure and precision that's the hallmark of the 2018 vintage. It's beautiful today given the quality of the tannins and the purity of the fruit but will be even better in 3-4 years and have 25-30 years of overall longevity. Maturity: 2026 - 2048.

Decanter : 97 Points

(9/7/2025) The 2018 Anniversary Claret from Robert Foley is a lavish, seamless and utterly hedonistic wine, with an impressive through-line of finesse, elegance and mineral tension that is utterly enthralling. With air, this powerhouse softens, its towering tannins melting more easily, transforming from velvet to silk. Earth notes gain depth and complexity, shifting from toasty, spicy French oak to refined turned earth, scorched soil and a kind of red-rock crushed minerality. The tannins take on a black tea quality, tobacco-infused and leather-like, while the finish is fuelled by bright mineral tension. It is a wine to take your time with—one that grows on you and shows even better the next day. Only 100 cases were produced. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040.