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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 31 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 9/27/2023 & rated 92 points: Unlike the last bottle, this one seemed older by more than the few months that have elapsed. Tired, wet forest floor on day 1; plum, forest floor, leather, spice and caramel on day 2. Full bodied. (303 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 6/9/2023 & rated 96 points: Wow - what a nice surprise! Was thinking of taking this to a nice restaurant to share. But, after sampling it beforehand, I decided it was too good for our non wine aficionados. Recorked and served next day. Best after 3 more hours of air. More tertiary flavors than fruit: drinking really well, showing very nice length and a sophisticated flavor profile led by black cherries, cassis, leather, anise and tobacco, cedar hints. Mature but not old. Has a few years left for sure. (329 views) | | | Tasted by Tannic Monster on 3/19/2021 & rated 95 points: My experience with this wine is very different from many others. This is exactly what I was hoping for in a 2007 Sonoma Cabernet. I feel like I opened it at its absolute peak of perfection. Bright cherry notes, cassis, fresh tobacco, peeled bark, blueberry, and roasted red fruit. The fruit is forward and amazing with just the right amount of other tertiary influence in perfect harmony. No signs of age in terms of color so it may have some life left but I just can't imagine it being any better. I wish I had more. (1165 views) | | | Tasted by GJVines on 12/21/2019 & rated 92 points: I would not hold on to this much longer if you have any. Still very nice, with a smooth finish, but beginning to lose its "personality". Drank without decanting. (1160 views) | | | Tasted by gmmilani on 5/28/2016 & rated 92 points: Not sure it has developed much since tasting it a couple of years ago, but who cares. Very good Sonoma Cabernet. It does not taste like a wine with high alcohol content, as everything is nicely balanced with cherry, soft tannins and a long finish. (3281 views) | | | Tasted by Hoppert on 1/3/2016 & rated 91 points: Decanted for an hour. Medium bodied and cherry/red in color. Not as inky as a zin, but the thought crossed my mind. Blackberry, black cherry on the nose with herbal tones and a hint of anise. It was smooth and fruity on the palate, with a very long finish. Tannins were moderate and the wine was very well balanced. This is a very good drinking wine that will last for several more years. (3117 views) | | | Tasted by Grinner on 1/15/2015 & rated 92 points: Wife guessed Rhone when tasted blind, likely because of the nice secondary earth notes. Cassis, plum, black cherry, stone, tobacco, and herbs. Very good depth and complexity, it hides the 15+% etoh nicely. The tannins are modest and mostly resolved. This plateau's soon and falls off in 5 years. (3719 views) | | | Tasted by Dfinn on 1/2/2015 & rated 91 points: It smells like chocolate and raspberry. There is no sediment in the bottle. (3034 views) | | | Tasted by Oakjeff on 12/31/2014 & rated 92 points: Classic Arrowood -- high alcohol yet extremely smooth and balanced with no noticeable heat. Dense & chewy. Notes of currant & tobacco. Delicious with a nice, long finish. Can last at least another 8-10 years, if not longer. (2917 views) | | | Tasted by Danthejuiceman on 11/14/2014: Lovely Bordeaux accents right out of the gate. Cassis, lead pencil and tobacco. After a few hours it suggests a bit of port. What is with the 15.5% alcohol? Time in the decanter should embellish the wine not detract.
13.5% and it is still young. 15.5% and it needs a walker. (1396 views) | | | Tasted by JDV.DDSPHD on 5/4/2014 & rated 91 points: This was a nice full bodied napa cab. On its own it was very nice but next to the solari it was in the backseat. This should age for another 5-10 yrs but it is hitting on all cylinders as of now. (1577 views) | | | Tasted by gmmilani on 8/11/2013 & rated 92 points: I love Sonoma Cabernets. Terrific full-bodied Cabernet with soft tannins. Very good now, but should develop with more time. (1533 views) | | | Tasted by redrules on 6/7/2013 & rated 94 points: Nice wine. A little tannic at first. 2 hours of air, tannins integrate themselves. Needs a little more bottle time. Very well balanced. Soft lingering finish 1 minute+. Best Arrowood Reserve I have ever tasted! Not as complex as I wished, but great Calif cab. (1765 views) | | | Tasted by bzell on 9/3/2012 & rated 92 points: Very good Cab with a lot of depth. A nice dark cranberry in color with notes of tobacco, tar, and dark fruit on the nose. Nice texture in the mouth and on the palate tastes of tobacco, graphite, currants, and tar with a long finish of some subtle tannins. The wine doesn't have a lot of wow factor to it but it is still an excellent well made wine that does't disappoint. (2434 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, May/June 2011, IWC Issue #156
(Arrowood Vineyards and Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale Sonoma) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Arrowood Producer web siteCabernet 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 Sonoma CountyMendocino CountySonoma ValleySonoma County, California, is one of the most important winegrowing regions in the whole of the United States. Vines have been planted here since the 1850s and, apart from the inevitable hiatus brought about by Prohibition, the county's relationship with wine has been prolific and unbroken.
Viticulturally speaking, Sonoma County is divided into three distinct sections: Sonoma Valley, Northern Sonoma and Sonoma Coast. Each of these has its own AVA title and encompasses several sub-AVAs within its boundaries. |
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