Napa Valley

Medium

Cork

This is a powerhouse wine, showing the robust tannins characteristic of 2018 alongside richer loamy earth and deep blackberry and black-cherry flavours. Graphite and cocoa powder–like tannins layer over a red-rock volcanic minerality, yet there’s a remarkable freshness to the bright fruit—almost like biting into a crisp, perfectly ripe cherry where the crunch hits before the fleshy sweetness. Fresh, inviting, and beautifully lifted, with great mineral character on the lengthy finish. Predecessor was established in 2015, the same year the Ballentine family—owners of William Cole Winery in St. Helena—purchased the Red Lake Vineyard property on Howell Mountain. The wines are made by Cole Ballentine and his father, William. The inaugural vintage, 2015, was released in 2018. The soils here are a mix of white tuffa and the red volcanic earth more typical of Howell Mountain. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Verdot, and some of the Cabernet Franc are planted on the redder volcanic soils, while the Merlot and a portion of the Cabernet Sauvignon are rooted in the white tuffa.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Predecessor Estate, Red Lake Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, California, USA, 2018

Screenshot-2026-01-06-at-7.10.21 PM.gif

This is a powerhouse wine, showing the robust tannins characteristic of 2018 alongside richer loamy earth and deep blackberry an

Predecessor Estate, Red Lake Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA 2018

Related Wines

Articles