External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94.3 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 20 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Alexander Smith on 5/3/2024 & rated 95 points: The nose on this wine is so pretty and so Spottswoode, with notes of dark blackcurrants, cassis, crushed violets, earthy notes, black tea, crushed stones, vanilla and saffron, The palate is wonderfully elegant, layered and seductive, dark black fruits, crushed stones and floral notes , the tannins are refined and nearly silky in texture yet still there is sufficient structure to the mid palate to ensure a good flow to a long finish (275 views) | | | Tasted by shaferguy91 on 4/7/2024 & rated 93 points: Wonderful young wine. Drinking very well right now. (537 views) | | | Tasted by nukeman862 on 11/20/2023 & rated 100 points: My method for rating wines was shaped by a comment from my local wine store owner. He said, in Italy, they have a system called “Tre Bicchieri” (Three Glasses) which rates each one “IN ITS RESPECTIVE CATEGORY” (my emphasis added). While I respect the points system, too often a “wow factor” is sought by winemakers to grab the attention of critics to capture those elusive 1 or 2 extra ones. Instead, my friend said Italy is turning back to making wines that represent the best the grape can be in the region they are grown without the “gimmicks” to chase points. I liked that…a lot. When I ask my wife, guests or just myself, “What are you in the mood to drink,” I don’t hear anyone answering, “Oh, I’d like a 95-point wine.” Instead, we think about a region, or a grape, or what goes best with a meal.
So here is Spottswoode Estate Cabernet and I ask myself, have I tasted anything better from a California Cabernet and the answer is no. We’ve been to Napa twice, finding some hidden gems there (boutiques) that are fantastic, along with the more recognizable stops. Spottswoode’s Cabernet simply has the extra touches of flavors, scents and fine tuning the balance of acidity, tannins, fruit, barrel influence, etc. that make you say “I just can’t think of any way to improve upon this.” It will age superbly. It’s a perfect California Cabernet. It may have some equals (and we’ve found a couple), but none better - so far.
Enjoyed it with a seasoned dry-aged porterhouse seared in olive oil, splash of truffle oil and butter then oven-finished. Perfect pairing! Went from one rich taste to flushing with the other! At the price point, you won’t find many equals. (1860 views) | | | Tasted by RockinCabs on 11/15/2023 & rated 93 points: This really split the table. On the plus side there is a nice wine here in a very difficult vintage. However, you have to wait on it. Despite a 6-hour decant the tannins were very hard, and held back the vibrant cassis, blackberry and cherry fruit notes. Not as precise as other recent vintages. (1512 views) | | | Tasted by ungerlei on 11/6/2023 & rated 96 points: Young, but I had to try it and it will age into another Spottswoode beauty. I imagine this reaching 98 or so in a few years as it softens and ages. Had for 74th BD with my darling wife. (1736 views) | | | Tasted by Applewine on 10/13/2023 & rated 91 points: 2nd bottle of this vintage. Better than first Not the best vintage for them and probably not worth the price point (1677 views) | | | Tasted by d'Artagnan on 10/4/2023 & rated 94 points: Dégustation Spottswoode avec Beth Weber Novak: 96% cabernet sauvignon, Petit Verdot 3%, le reste en cabernet franc.
La bouche est pleine et de belle concentration, avec l’équilibre habituel de cette cuvée. C'est un authentique cab californien, mais rien qui ne dépasse, tout est en justes proportions, les tanins sont présents mais fins. Il possède une réelle structure tout en gardant le petit côté dodu et charmeur de la région, sans ses excès. Très beau vin, prometteur, agréable maintenant mais certainement trop jeune. À revoir dans 10-15 ans pour développer la finesse et la complexité dont il est capable. 94+ (1646 views) | | | Tasted by cubswinws on 9/29/2023 & rated 90 points: One of the very few Napa 2020's I bought. Just interested to see how it fares at his early date. Good fruit and obviously quite young. Not a lot of depth as you would typically see in the better years. I will plan to drink these over the next few years. (884 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 9/23/2023 & rated 94 points: Real power and intensity here but with enough charm to make this a pleasure to drink even so young. Dark fruit, good structure in balance with the medium to full weight fruit. Good length, straightforward. Can drink now but better to leave it for 5 to 10 years. (876 views) | | | Tasted by Lord of the Bottles on 9/15/2023 & rated 91 points: Spottswoode Tasting in London: This was very primary and one dimensional but did deliver smooth fruit. (996 views) | | | Tasted by tomoem on 7/16/2023: What do you make of a wine picked literally the last day's before the start of the Glass Fires ? I have three and am excited to see what the dry vintage did for these rare surviving grapes from a doomed vintage. (1078 views) | | | Tasted by RockinCabs on 6/10/2023 & rated 94 points: Nose: Classic notes from this site. Blackberry,, dark cherry, lavendar, sandalwood, loam and herbs. Complex and nuanced yet not explosive. Charming.
Palate: Enters dark berries, cassis, and black cherry. The stony mineral, herb de provence, loam and tobacco notes follow. Fresh and well balanced on the palate.
Finish: Perhaps not as regal as some vintages, but has length and great palate feel.
It has the breeding of a Spottswoode Estate wine, and showed clean for me at the estate. 94+ if you want a wine to mark 2020, this may be your best bet. (1216 views) | | | Tasted by benjamin96 on 6/3/2023 & rated 91 points: Bouche ample, belle texture, un peu maquille et boise, devrait sameliorer. (959 views) | | | Tasted by JustBreathe680 on 2/28/2023 & rated 95 points: 7 Hours In Napa: VHR; Roy Piper; Spottswoode; & MACDONALD (Napa, CA): 7 hours in Napa and tasted at the Spottswoode Estate, hosted by Virginia.The stems used for the tasting were Jancis Robinson x Richard Brendon Wine Glasses (JRxRB). The tasting included:
2021 Sauvignon Blanc
2019 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon
2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2020 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
The wine was not decanted and was opened sometime earlier in the day and poured into our glasses shortly before we arrived. I had a second pour to walk with on our tour that was a Corvin pour. I thought the Corvin pour came across fresher and more aromatic than the wine that was sitting in the glass prior to our arrival.
The wine is made up of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Petit Verdot and 0.5% Cabernet Franc. The wine came across fresh with floral aromas and red and black fruits, cigar box, hints of spice and minerality. The palate was primary with beautiful fruit of black cherry, blueberry, blackberry, minerality and baking spices. There was good medium acidity, medium tannins and a velvety smooth finish. The body was medium-full. It was an elegant wine.
I enjoyed this wine slightly more than the 2019 and the Corvin pour was better than the prepared pour before we arrived. It was one of the best 2020s I've tasted to date (edged out only by 2020 MACDONALD) and it's the only magnum I purchased from this difficult vintage, outside of a 2020 Ridge Monte Bello future I purchased 2 years ago as part of my annual allocation that I have concerns about today, The tannins were not overbearing like I've experienced on some other 2020s. I have no idea where this will end up in 1, 2 or 3 decades but it's definitely a promising effort for a historically age worthy wine.
My score is 94-96+ with maybe great heights if the concerns of the 2020 vintage don't creep in decades down the road. (2640 views) | | | Tasted by Alexander Smith on 2/24/2023 & rated 95 points: Premiere Napa Valley; 2/22/2023-3/25/2023 (Napa, California): Brief tasting at Spottswoode, this being poured by Tony Soter, which felt pretty special. The grapes were picked the day before the Glass Fire and so no fire taint would be in this wine. Aromas of Dark blackcurrant, cassis, black cherry, tree bark, black pepper and cacao. The palate was medium-full bodied super well integrated with dark fresh tree fruit, plenty of stuffing in the mid-palate with an elegant yet firm structure, dusty tannins along with a long lingering finish. This is an incredibly strong vintage for Spottswoode and I am hoping to revisit this later in the year. (2523 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 12/18/2022 & rated 95 points: 17x Spottswoode (2x SB, 5x Lyndenhurst, 10x Estate Cab): Ten vintages of the flagship Estate Cabernet Sauvignon side-by-side. What makes these Spottswoode wines great is their weightless structure and feel as well as the absence of the excess ripeness or extraction that can be found in some Napa Cult Cabs. These wines are still distinctively Napa and not Bordeaux-esque but definitely on the more elegant, finesse-driven side of the spectrum. Still, not all vintages masked the alcohol perfectly. The best wines were the structured 2013 (96pts), followed by magical 2012 and a very promising 2020 (both 95pts).
TN: This was one of the highlights of the tasting. Singular, young, superbly fresh nose with intense, precise aromas of rhubarb, fresh red berries which continue on the palate along with more herbal, mineral notes. The elegance and finesse, the weightlessness are quite impressive with a good tannin structure, high freshness and a satin-like but full-blown airy texture. Superb showing.
Decanting: Opened 6 hours prior to the tasting. Quickly double decanted 3 hours prior to the tasting which seemed fine. No extensive decanting needed. (2693 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 12/8/2022 & rated 95 points: Spottswoode tasting (Widder (Meilen ZH)): Spottswoode tasting with proprietor Beth Novak-Milliken with 10 vintages Spottswoode, 5 vintages Lyndenhurst, 2 vintages Sauvignon Blanc. All bottles were opened at 15.00 and briefly decanted for the event which started at 19.00. Main observations were: i/ The flagship Spottswoode was typically light and elegant for a Napa Cab with 2013 being the wine-of-the-night (closely followed by 2014, 2019 and 2020, ii/ the Lyndenhurst tends to be rather extracted and lacking mid-palate presence, although the 2019 broke this rule and was towering over the rest. Brief history, snippets from Beth and complete list of wines included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Ripe red currant, cassis and even a aromas of rhubarb. Despite its youth, also leather and herbal dimensions. Super fresh palate, in great balance with all building blocks already put in place. This id definitely one to watch. (1918 views) | | | Tasted by Hojun-na-Wine on 6/18/2022: Barrel sample at the Spottswoode garden party.
Dark purple core, opaque with a bright purple rim.
Black currant, soft mint, red licorice on the nose.
On the palate blackberry, black cherry, crushed rocks.
Medium alcohol (14%?), full body, medium acidity. Firm, grippy tannins. This feels much more full throttled compared to the 2019, but in speaking to the wine maker, she feels the 2020 vintage will settle down to be softer overall compared to the 2019 vintage. She said the tannin levels are lower but since the samples came straight from the barrel this morning the oak tannins are more pronounced. (2034 views) |
| By Jonathan Cristaldi
Decanter, Napa Valley Cabernet 2020 vintage report (2/21/2023)
(Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, St Helena, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Napa Valley’s 2020s and 2021s (2/16/2023)
(Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/2/2023)
(Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon St Helena Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Napa Valley: The Frantic 2020s & Stunning 2021s (Feb 2023) (2/1/2023)
(Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and JebDunnuck.com and JancisRobinson.com and Vinous. (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 SauvignonEstateIn the United States, "Wines with “estate bottled” designations must: a) also designate an appellation of origin or an AVA, and both the vineyards and the winery must be located there; b) the grapes must come from vineyards owned or controlled by the winery; and c) the wine must have been produced, from crush to bottle, in a continuous process without leaving the winery’s premises."
- WINE LABEL FAQS: A QUICK SUMMARY OF LABEL DESIGNATION RULES" by David E. StollUSAAmerican 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)St. Helena Appellation Napa Valley
The single vineyards on weinlagen-info |
|
