Purlieu Le Pich Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 | Julien Fayard does it again!
Purlieu Le Pich Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 presents a Deep purple, almost black in color. Black currant, blackberry, and blueberry aromas are joined by complex notions of cocoa powder, vanilla, violets, cedar, clove, and a touch of leather. Firmly textured, with grainy tannins and concentrated flavors of blackberry, cassis, cedar, spice box, and German chocolate cake. Finishes with the density and power of a classic Napa Cabernet. Drink now–2028.
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Julien Fayard landed his first 100-point score in 2020, and he’s now undeniably at the top of his game. So give him a near-perfect season like 2018—Wine Spectator’s highest-scoring Napa vintage of all time—and you’re going to get power. You’re going to get finesse. You’re going to get gratification.
Le Pich | Golden Eagle
Le Pich gets its name from a Wappo Indian term meaning “golden eagle.” While they are hunting birds, and you can often spot them above the vineyards as they soar, glide, circle and arc. They are beautiful birds — stately and impressive, but not haughty or boasting, with a nimbleness that’s inspiring.
Napa 2018 | Extraordinary 99 point vintage
By the middle of the stellar 2018 vintage in Napa, growers up and down Highway 29 had become Cabernet clairvoyants, predicting that some of the greatest bottles ever would emerge from the region that year. After a cool, steady summer that was mercifully free of nasty heat-spikes; after a long, leisurely harvest; and after the dark, complex wines were in barrel, the critics confirmed what the growers had known: the 2018 vintage was a classic Wine Spectator called it “a spectacular year,” before bestowing a 99-point vintage score—one of the best they’ve ever given.
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The result here is another masterpiece—ripe black fruit accented by mocha and graphite, beautiful balance, and a long expressive finish. So, Purlieu Le Pich Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a joy to drink now and over the next decade. That is if you’re quicker than the Fayard fans today.
Winemaker Julien Fayard
“One of the finest wines I’ve had. Didn’t buy enough. Little wonder, given Fayard’s background: after stints at Lafite-Rothschild and Smith Haut Lafitte, he moved to Napa in 2006 to work alongside Philippe Melka at Quintessa before striking out on his own to craft his masterful Purlieu and Le Pich Cabernets. The Purlieu Le Pich Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, from the latest in a line of excellent Napa vintages, was sourced from many of the same stellar sites as Purlieu’s single-vineyard To Kalon masterpieces.
So, in Fayard’s work, the lessons of Lafite rule: attention to detail and restraint in the cellar. Notably working for years with Melka on projects like Gemstone, Dalla Valle, and Lail. Those experiences offer Fayard an understanding of the Valley’s vineyards and relationships with top growers. While these relationships allow Fayard to source top-flight fruit for Purlieu from sites like Pritchard Hill and To Kalon.
