Wine Advisor
Sloan, Proprietary Red 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A barrel sample, the 2018 Proprietary Red sports a deep garnet-purple color and slowly revealing scents of freshly crushed blueberries, black raspberries and Morello cherries with emerging notes of cassis, chocolate box, violets and star anise plus a waft of cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is very tightly wound, delivering peeks at layer upon layer of black berries, floral notes and exotic spices with a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with loads of earth and mineral sparks. WOW! If this lives up to its promises as a barrel sample, it could just be one of the wines of the vintage.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2018 Proprietary Red displays and deep, vibrant garnet-purple color. Baked plums, blackberry pie, crème de cassis and toasty oak notes leap from the glass, followed by hints of tilled soil, Indian spices, mocha and crushed rocks. Big, full-bodied, opulent and velvety, it has a solid structure and a very long, seductively spicy finish.
About the Producer
Sloan is a leading winery in the Napa Valley region of California, USA. Sloan was founded in 1998 by winegrower Stuart Sloan. Over the next decade, Stuart continued to explore the potential of the vineyards and improve the quality of the wines, and in 2001 hired an all-star production team - winemaking consultant Michel Rolland, winemaker Martha In 2011, Sutong Pan, Chairman of the Goldin Group in Hong Kong, acquired Château Sloane and placed it under the management of his daughter Jenny Pan. After the acquisition, Sutong Pan still employs the same production team to produce the wines for the winery. In addition, Sutong Pan, who had a keen interest in wine, acquired three other prestigious Bordeaux estates: Château Rolland Maillet, Château Bertineau Saint-Vincent and Château Le Bon Pasteur. The Château de la Vieux is one of the most prestigious Bordeaux estates in the world. Château Stoux covers a total of 40 acres, 13 of which were planted in 1997. The vineyards are ideally located on the eastern slopes of Rutherford at 875-990 feet above sea level, with plenty of light. In addition, the cool maritime climate of this region is ideal for growing grapes. The vineyard has mineral-rich porous volcanic and sandy loam soils and is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Currently, Sloan produces only two wines, Sloan Proprietary Red and Sloan Asterisk Red. Since its release, the Sloan Proprietary Red has received much acclaim from the wine press. Notably, the 2002 Sloan Proprietary Red received 100 points from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Advocate, and the 2007 Sloan Proprietary Red received a perfect score from Wine Advocate.
