2018’s Hamel Isthmus is a much more approachable wine than the 2016 bottling. Composed of a much different blend of 64% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 14% cabernet franc, and 4% petit verdot, the wine is quite dry and weighty, notes of graphite and tanned leather yielding tentatively to a punch of currants and blackberry bramble, but falling back on a gently gummy body as the finish arrives. Notes of tea leaf and some green herbal notes give the wine some nuance, though they don’t work perfectly with what appears up top.

B+ / $90 / hamelfamilywines.com

2018 Hamel Isthmus Red Wine Sonoma Valley

$90

8.5

Rating

8.5/10

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Christopher Null

Christopher Null is the founder and editor in chief of Drinkhacker. A veteran writer and journalist, he also operates Null Media, a bespoke content creation company.

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