2018 Maquette
90 POINTS - Wine Enthusiast
GOLD & 90 POINTS - Toast of the Coast Wine Contest
Our 2018 Maquette showcases a lovely fusion of complex high tone red fruit flavors while centering around an herbal and earthy core. This wine combines 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot, and was aged 18 months in French and American Oak. Bright yet supple on the palate, it contains powerful flavors of black olive, cedar wood, and peppered meats. Vibrant undertones reveal a juicer side that compliment aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate. It is full bodied and concentrated in clove and oregano spice. A touch of grilled meats and smoked BBQ Oak lingers on the finish, giving it a wonderful lasting impression. No doubt this is an age-able wine, capable of cellaring for ten or more years! I feel this wine will taste at its very best in 2026.
Our 2018 Maquette showcases a lovely fusion of complex high tone red fruit flavors while centering around an herbal and earthy core. This wine combines 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot, and was aged 18 months in French and American Oak. Bright yet supple on the palate, it contains powerful flavors of black olive, cedar wood, and peppered meats. Vibrant undertones reveal a juicer side that compliment aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate. It is full bodied and concentrated in clove and oregano spice. A touch of grilled meats and smoked BBQ Oak lingers on the finish, giving it a wonderful lasting impression. No doubt this is an age-able wine, capable of cellaring for ten or more years! I feel this wine will taste at its very best in 2026.
Our 2018 Maquette showcases a lovely fusion of complex high tone red fruit flavors while centering around an herbal and earthy core. This wine combines 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot, and was aged 18 months in French and American Oak. Bright yet supple on the palate, it contains powerful flavors of black olive, cedar wood, and peppered meats. Vibrant undertones reveal a juicer side that compliment aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate. It is full bodied and concentrated in clove and oregano spice. A touch of grilled meats and smoked BBQ Oak lingers on the finish, giving it a wonderful lasting impression. No doubt this is an age-able wine, capable of cellaring for ten or more years! I feel this wine will taste at its very best in 2026.
Our winemaking protocol for these varieties includes a carefully executed night time harvest, destemming the fruit as soon as the grapes arrive to the winery the next morning, and individual fermentations, thus promoting unique characters and flavors. The fruit was destemmed, fermented, pressed and barrel aged for a total of 18 months. Right off the bat the Cabernet Sauvignon showed brilliant dark color, intense cherry fruits and balanced tannins. Cabernet Franc was more on the drier, astringent side, displaying notes of plum and blueberry. While Merlot, round and supple, displays gentle fruits of strawberry and tangerines. Finally, the Petit Verdot is packed with earthy spice notes that lead to a lengthy dry finish. Two of the Cabernet Sauvignon barrels were new 500-liter French Oak Puncheon barrels, and greatly added dense structure and medium toasted flavors to the wine.
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Varietal | Maquette |
| Varietal Composition | (39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot, & 8% Petit Verdot) |
| Appellation | Paso Robles |
| Acid | 0.67 |
| PH | 3.59 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.06 |
| Alcohol | 14.50% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 05/13/2020 |
| Cases Produced | 730 |
We are proud to present our newest 100% estate grown Bordeaux blend, Maquette. In French Maquette means miniature sculpture, or more precisely “mock-up,” the small sculpture crafted before the large one is produced. The sculpture garden at Sculpterra Winery features “Sweet Dreams,” a breath-taking bronze cheetah statue crafted by sculpting legend John Jagger and seen on the bottle of this lovely wine. The grapes for this blend are grown on the Frankel Family 265-acre ranch, which includes four principle Bordeaux varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Each vineyard showcases a unique microclimate, culminating in a complex and balanced blend in the bottle. Our terroir is perfect for the highest quality grapes imaginable, as hot summer days are dramatically cooled by the ocean’s influence each night. 2018 was a wonderful growing season and these harvested grapes showed to be perfect in ripeness, acidity and tannin development.
