93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Scents of pine resin and hints of mint accent black cherry and cassis notes on the nose of Ink Grade's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. It's a sturdy, wiry effort, with the ample tannins and coiled intensity that often mark mountain wines, followed by a lingering, gently astringent finish. Like the other reds from Ink Grade, it spent time in a combination of oak tanks and barrels, yet the wood is scarcely noticeable. Give it a few years to unwind.

93pts Wine Enthusiast

This powerful yet velvety wine overflows with black cherries, blueberries, clove and mint flavors on a bed of super-fine tannins that keep it soft on the palate yet provide good structure for more aging. Best from 2025-2035.

93pts James Suckling

Black olive skin and earth with pine cone aromas that follow through to a medium body, with firm and silky tannins, and a juicy and savory finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.

92pts Wine Spectator

Rock-solid, with tarry-edged grip supporting a core of steeped black currant and blackberry reduction, while singed mesquite and apple wood accents and a licorice root note fill in on the finish. Best from 2024 through 2036.

Winemaker Notes

The high-elevation 30-year-old vineyard offers a wine of beautiful acid structure, fine tannins, savory and spicy flavors from black olives to Chinese 5-spice. The fruit has an elegant marriage of black and blue fruits both ripe and tart. A signature expression of the site is the graphite, iron and flint character that uniquely illustrates the terroir of the Aiken soils.