December 31, 2023 - Spottswoode did not disappoint tonight. Still going strong with the black fruit you would hope and the mature notes as well. Still quite rich with a beautiful, velvety mouthfeel. Not trying to be Bordeaux but showing what a balanced Napa Cab can be at 25 years. Could probably go another 5+ but why wait?
November 15, 2023 - Nose: Plums, date, coffee and lavender on the nose. Darkly perfumed with some signature notes that hold it all together. Palate: Silky black cherry, tobacco, dark florals and soil. Blackberry, sage and a savory herb component comes in as it opens. Overall it remains dark, and showing nice extract midpalate without being over done. Finish: Peacock tail of plum, cherry compote and graphite.
A very complete wine right now. On the heavier spectrum for the 90's at Spottswoode, but a well made wine that will age for a few decades still.
February 10, 2023 - Drank from a magnum and shared with friends. Everyone loved this wine. Mild tannins good fruit and deep ruby color. An elegent wine with tabacco overtones. Not sure if regular size bootttle would have showed this well.
February 20, 2021 - AT THE END OF IT’S LIFE
January 1, 2021 - This is the typical California Cabernet Sauvignon: Spotts Wood 1996, elegant ,dark fruit in color ; black currants and lavender flavor , dry palate with medium acidity, medium body and finish . Well balanced structure with velvety tannis and structure. Drink beautifully now .
October 14, 2020 - Clear. Medium garnet in color.
Clean nose. Mostly tertiary at this point. Dried fruit, soil, tobacco leaf, cedar, compost and decaying meat. A bit wild/funky. Definitely fully developed.
Dry on the palate. Medium acids. Medium plus tannins. Medium body. Velvety texture. The structure is well integrated. No heat is perceptible. Oak is in check. Blackcurrant at the core along with beefy and umami flavors. It feels quite savory.
Medium length finish. Good bottle but I think I would have enjoyed it more about five years ago. This is good to go. Drink up!
March 20, 2020 - Hmmm, this was really interesting. A real beef broth/umami note on the nose. Dried fruit and underbrush. The wine didn't change just sitting out over several days. Cork was perfect although bottle was a recent purchase. I've got another, so we'll see.
October 16, 2019 - Spottswoode pairing at Pappas Steakhouse Houston.
2016 Estate 96+ a lot of upside. Very approachable for a such a young Cabernet. Very well made from what will be an iconic Napa vintage.
2016 Lyndenhurst 92+ Lovely nose that hit's the middle pallet with acid and tannins. Very nice wine for a 2nd label.
2015 Estate 95+ Very ripe on the nose. Floral with a boat load of Tannin.
2010 Estate 97 WOTN for me. This is a beautiful wine with room to develop more as I think the fruit is just starting to settle into that secondary window.
1996 NR- Not my style on the nose but I can appreciate how well this wine has aged.
September 22, 2019 - A really, really good — but not great— classic Cali cab. Drinking well; not going to get better with more age. Opened 2 hours before and then drunk over the next two hours. Not decanted. That was the right amount of time. Drunk with 28-day dry-aged steaks. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
September 13, 2019 - From magnum and decanted for a good 30 minutes.
The nose is where this wine wines but unfortunately the palate doesn't follow. Red fruited, cherry notes, light cedar touch. Still very much on the fruit, light show of secondary feel. On the palate is less expressive and frankly the heat and ripeness of the 96 vintage shows its teeth here and the wine lacks the charm and balance we have seen in softer vintages. Very good 91 but should we have had more we would let them age for longer and hopefully this would be a proper beauty at its tertiary state.