The 2018 Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon was made with 5% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot and marked the 20th vintage for the winery. Dusty black and dark red fruit aromas spill out of a glass with lavender and rose petal elements, hints of baking spices and notions of graphite, pencil shaving, and cinnamon. Full-bodied, the Dead Horse is complex, tightly wound and ready to go. It possesses juicy acidity with fine-grained tannins, which lift the expression across the mid-palate. A mix of flavors sways in and out of focus, with black plum, dried herbs and five-spice over the long, lingering and ever-evolving finish. Just over 26,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 21 months in French oak. Bravo!