Community Tasting Note

• pepmi wrote: 89 points

  June 26, 2021 - I have to admit that my first 3-4 bottles of the 2013 Spottswoode had me question my sanity to committing to a purchase of a full case. The wines were dense, packed with dark fruit and lacking in any of the elegance I recall from this notable winery.
  
  Spottswoode was one of the few remaining California wines I drank -- along with Forman, Corison and Montelena from time to time. Once you have the Napa cabs from the early nineties burnt into your cranial hard drive, everything since feels like a big let down.
  
  I decanted this wine and let it sit for about 30 minutes. The squid ink blackness of the color stood in sharp contrast from the aged Nebbiolo we had the evening before. I prepared for another disappointment.
  The good news is that the wine has settled and lost some of its youthful masculinity. I'm not sure th wine is worth $175.00 a bottle but it was at least drinkable.

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2 Comments

• oldwines commented:

  6/26/21, 8:22 PM - I share your sentiments on the modern Cali Cabs! I have stopped buying the Spottswoode as well, since it has succumbed to the score insanity driven by an increasing number of “pro reviewers”. I also still drink each of the others you reference as well as a few others (Ridge, Mount Eden, Tyler). The heat and draughts in Cali may make it impossible to have balanced Cabs in the future but with that said, I have had this wine just after its first release and I suspect that one of the problems with tasting this wine could be just timing. I never drink Cabs, Bordeaux, Barolo, etc. of top quality between 6 and 10 years old. They just seem to go to sleep and are hard and one dimensional, especially the bigger and more powerful styles. I think there is a reasonable chance that is part of the problem with the wine at this time. Also I think it needs a lot more time in a decanter…I would start with 3 hours even with older vintages. Thanks for the note nevertheless it is a useful update. I share your sensibilities and also have a good amount of this in my cellar with some trepidation…
  
  Cheers!
  
  “oldwines” aka Dave
  www.dtpwineadvisors.com

• lockestep commented:

  7/1/21, 10:26 AM - Piling on here, except in my case it is "Once you have the Napa cabs from the early eighties burnt into your cranial hard drive. Agree that 6-10 tends to be a clumsy age for quality cab-based wines. I own a magnum of this which I'm targeting for closer to its 20th birthday.
  For your case I'd wait a few years before the next cork pull. Cheers.

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