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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 170 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 3/11/2023: 2023 Napa in the City: Tasting & Lunch (The Pool/Grill): Not a year that I particularly love from California but a good showing that good producers make good wines in all of the years including this one. It had been open overnight and so I think was a bit more tired than it might have been otherwise. A touch thinner and acid a bit more prevalent. Still, nice structure and drinking alright. (2039 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 9/28/2022 & rated 95 points: Pretty nose with notes of dark fruit, cassis, leather, dark cherry, forest flavors, a bit of vanilla, and mint. Well balanced on the palate with good acidity, more dark fruit notes, dark plum, cherries, and menthol. Long finish. Really lovely wine that’s in a great spot right now but will last for decades. (1768 views) | | | Tasted by Montesquieu on 3/11/2022 & rated 93 points: 2-3 hours of decanting and warming was essential for this wine to achieve its potential. At first taste after 30 minutes, it was thin, somewhat vegetal, and imbalanced. It needed to warm and breathe. Lovely after two hours. Tannins fully resolved. Fruit remains, but it's no longer bright or prominent. Firmly in its secondary phase but not yet overwhelmed by it. I don't believe the structure here would enable further improving as it would with a Dunn Howell, but others who follow Spottswoode would know better than me. I think we did my one bottle justice by opening, filtering, decanting, and warming it at age 25. (2315 views) | | | Tasted by Dr.Scott on 1/15/2022 & rated 93 points: Last bottle. Sad. It was yummy (2229 views) | | | Tasted by pigdaddy on 1/1/2022 & rated 92 points: magnum, double-decanted to travel. deeply-colored & youthful in the glass; black-fruited & loamy, pencil lead; med-full weight; currants & blackberries, tho restrained, dominate the fruit profile, black soil, subtle weedy notes & mature tannins complete the finish.
last one, purchased on release & showing better than might have anticipated; even in this warm vintage, house style prevails.
chateaubriand, chanterelle-red wine sauce; herb-crushed potatoes; roasted market carrots (2255 views) | | | Tasted by ffjxc on 7/25/2021 & rated 89 points: very mellow, nice old cab. (2091 views) | | | Tasted by wa2ofd on 6/12/2021: Hmm…wine seemed a little heavy…like dark overripe fruit…not raisiny, but somewhat heavy…perfectly fine with a big steak but stand-alone somewhat awkward… (1972 views) | | | Tasted by jpwines on 3/7/2021 & rated 60 points: this bottle was corked---disappointed (2071 views) | | | Tasted by DougBush on 12/31/2020 & rated 90 points: Beautiful wine maybe a little past it's prime. (1910 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 4/5/2020 & rated 50 points: This bottle was a gift from RT. Cork was dry but dense and broke mid pull.
Thick, prune, and hint of vinegar, but with the underlying CS. This was well past its prime. Took two sips then tossed it. (2817 views) | | | Tasted by Francophile1 on 12/29/2018 & rated 86 points: This particular bottle was a bit past its prime. Is it the vintage? Is it the way it was stored? Not sure, but it was a bit tired with some raisin and prune on the finish. I've had older Spottswoods (i.e. '94 and '91) with a similar amount of age on them that tasted fresher and more alive that the '97 did on this night. (3661 views) | | | Tasted by wa2ofd on 5/26/2018 & rated 96 points: This was singing 2nite...refined red fruit, smooth mature cab that left a few thinking it was younger than 20+... (4404 views) | | | Tasted by slywka7 on 2/1/2018 & rated 96 points: Aromas of blackberry, cherry, iron and a touch of earth. Big nose. Mint. blackberry, dried cherry and iron on the palate. Finish ends with notes of blackberry and iron that lasts 45 seconds. Just a beautiful wine at this stage. (4352 views) | | | Tasted by jsmorris707 on 6/3/2017 & rated 97 points: Similar to prior note after 1 hr decant; delicious & ready to drink, but definitely no rush! (5841 views) | | | Tasted by KenK on 4/4/2017 & rated 80 points: Some thought a bit oxidized, I am not as sure, but was kind of weedy and thin. A poor showing, bad bottle? (5424 views) | | | Tasted by jsmorris707 on 1/14/2017 & rated 97 points: Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, deep ruby with no brick, dark fruit with some cherry, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious, drink or hold, no rush
Even better with more time later in the evening at Fabio's after BB (4718 views) | | | Tasted by BordeauxBoy on 10/31/2016 & rated 95 points: Was hesitant to acquire this recently after reading the earlier review but based in Parkers recent review, acquired 3 bottle and was not disappointed with the first one. World class in every way. Pure fruit, tannins like a cozy blanket. Secondary flavors starting to show up while the color showed no signs of bricking or age. Got to believe that the less than stellar reviews may be a result of less than great storage at some point in the last 19 years. Have to believe it's at peak with another good 5 more years. (4091 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 10/2/2016 & rated 96 points: RICH BERRY FRUIT WITH ANISE AND LEATHER IN THE NOSE WITH RICH BLACKBERRIES, CURRANTS, AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. ELEGANT WINE WITH NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH. (3777 views) | | | Tasted by robkuhling on 9/18/2016 & rated 85 points: Woody tannins, subdued fruit. I waited too long (2874 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 9/10/2016: Q3 Tasting - Aged Cali (The Apt): Wine #8: The winner of the tasting. This was very primary for me - I mostly just tasted grape and alcohol and while normally I would have said that doesn't bode so well, I did enjoy the wine. (18 pennies) (3357 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 9/10/2016: Q3 - 2016 Tasting - Aged California Wines - Pre 2006 (New York, NY): #8 of 20 wines tasted double blind. This is garnet red colored. The nose on this is intoxicating, beautiful red fruits and earth - best nose of the night. On the palate I am tasting ripe red plums, very round, velvety and luscious. This has a 60 second plus finish for me - just lovely! This was my favorite wine of the tasting. The group's overall favorite as well coming in 1st place with 18 pennies. (3060 views) | | | Tasted by oncocyte on 5/18/2016: Brett, Brett, Brett. Then additional powerful Brett. Finishes with not Brett notes but rather with Brett's 1st symphony. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by jbaron on 5/7/2016 & rated 94 points: Nice drinking tonight. Something kind of sublime about this bottle, and held up well for the hour plus it took to drink up! (2740 views) | | | Tasted by hsacks on 1/2/2016 & rated 94 points: This magnum was richer, more complex and longer on the palate than the 5/23/10 bottle. Very elegant, integrated and suave. This delicious California cab was the WOTN among many great magnums for many of the New Years Eve participants. (3257 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoma-W on 11/8/2015 & rated 89 points: More muted than expected -- toward the end of its life cycle... (1790 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vintage Retrospective: The 1997 Napa Valley Cabernets (Sep 2017) (9/1/2017)
(Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vertical Tasting of Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon (Jun 2016) (6/1/2016)
(Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By William Kelley
Decanter, Spottswoode Vertical (11/1/2015)
(Spottswoode, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/20/2006)
(Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 1999, IWC Issue #84
(Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 1998, IWC Issue #78
(Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By William Kelley
Decanter, 1997 Napa Cabernets
(Spottswoode, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Decanter and JancisRobinson.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Spottswoode Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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