| 2009-01-26 15:43 |
IWC: By Stephen Tanzer
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008, Issue #138
(Spottswoode Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley) ($130) Good full ruby-red. Expressive nose offers cassis, minerals, violet and brown spices. Suave on entry, then supple, sweet and seamless in the middle, without any impression of weight. This boasts lovely inner-mouth energy and lift. The sweet tannins arrive late, allowing the dark fruit and floral flavors to expand in the mouth. A highly successful vintage for this wine. 93 points |
| 2009-01-26 15:43 |
WA: The utterly profound 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc) will benefit from several years of bottle age, and should keep for 25-30 years. This extraordinary effort exhibits notes of blueberries, cassis, spring flowers, licorice, and forest floor. Beautifully pure and full-bodied with excellent overall harmony as well as superb purity, it reveals a Chateau Margaux-like personality. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2030.
Spottswoode Vineyard is one of Napa’s most well-known landmarks, and its winemaking team, owner Beth Novack, and assistants Rosemary Cakebread and Jennifer Williams, represents a trifecta of talented young women. When the history of Napa’s great vineyards is written, the 40-acre Spottswoode Vineyard, tucked behind the quaint town of St. Helena, will be counted among the finest grand cru vineyards of the region. These wines have always been good, but over the last decade, the quality has soared, no doubt because of a much more strict selection in the vineyard as well as in the winery. A very fine second wine, Lyndenhurst, has also been introduced, which has increased the quality of the flagship offering, the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Like Bordeaux’s top chateaux, Spottswoode has gotten serious about turning out a very fine second wine that is softer and more accessible, yet represents their vineyard character.
Tel. (707) 963-0134; Fax (707) 963-2886 |
| 2009-02-26 10:29 |
WS: Chewy and rustic, with plenty of smoky oak, lead pencil and graphite evident in the aroma. The currant, mineral, sage and cedary notes are tight and concentrated, firming up on the finish where the tannins are more evident. Score range: 92-94 –JL
Score: BT
Release Price: $NA
Country: California
Region: Napa
Issue: Aug 31, 2006
Designation: Barrel Tasting
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