One of the nicest aged cabs I have ever had. This was still so well balanced with an enjoyable complexity. Soft yet with enough dark fruit and tannins to allow it to dance on your palate for minutes. We shared this with good friends with a love for aged cabs and they were in awe with it too.
I have one more bottle of this vintage. Let’s see if I can let it rest a few more years before opening and see where it is then.
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2 hrs decant:dark red; fruity notes of Bing cherry, plum, nose has dark chocolate and a little chemical/polish like finish. The fruit in the body is soft, complex and carries the wine across the palate to the medium long finish.
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What a treat to share this with Mark and Carol. My first Spottswoode. This instantly takes me back to the Napa cabs of the 70s and early 80s. Deep, dark, virile with tremendous fruit, balance and length. Great finish. I picked up on the small dollop of Cabernet franc that was added to the mix. Surprisingly youthful, and probably deserves a higher rating given that it stood up against a group of much younger wines. I believe that Parker considers this to be on the highlights of the 2003 vintage, which has often been overshadowed by the preceding two vintages and subsequent ‘05 and ‘06
Second bottle of this one from the auction lot.....decanted for about 1 hour prior to going back into the bottle for our dinner with Mr/Mrs Franken Berry at Townsend EPX. The nose is exquisite from the start. Floral, cedar, berry fruit and followed on the palate by all of that. Red fruited to start off but deepens and darkens over dinner. Classy with a capital C. More traditional in Napa lingo. Dry and with a long finish. Not Cult-ish in the least. Enjoyed by all......glad to have two more bottles to enjoy over the next few years.
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4/1/2024 - Sheldog wrote: 96 Points
One of the nicest aged cabs I have ever had. This was still so well balanced with an enjoyable complexity. Soft yet with enough dark fruit and tannins to allow it to dance on your palate for minutes. We shared this with good friends with a love for aged cabs and they were in awe with it too.
I have one more bottle of this vintage. Let’s see if I can let it rest a few more years before opening and see where it is then.
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9/9/2023 - vinojones wrote: 90 Points
ADDENDUM approx 30 min after first note, in a more typical cab glass the wine showed medicinal character, less sweetness and more tannic finish
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9/9/2023 - vinojones wrote: 93 Points
2 hrs decant:dark red; fruity notes of Bing cherry, plum, nose has dark chocolate and a little chemical/polish like finish. The fruit in the body is soft, complex and carries the wine across the palate to the medium long finish.
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6/4/2023 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a treat to share this with Mark and Carol. My first Spottswoode. This instantly takes me back to the Napa cabs of the 70s and early 80s. Deep, dark, virile with tremendous fruit, balance and length. Great finish. I picked up on the small dollop of Cabernet franc that was added to the mix. Surprisingly youthful, and probably deserves a higher rating given that it stood up against a group of much younger wines.
I believe that Parker considers this to be on the highlights of the 2003 vintage, which has often been overshadowed by the preceding two vintages and subsequent ‘05 and ‘06
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6/3/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Second bottle of this one from the auction lot.....decanted for about 1 hour prior to going back into the bottle for our dinner with Mr/Mrs Franken Berry at Townsend EPX. The nose is exquisite from the start. Floral, cedar, berry fruit and followed on the palate by all of that. Red fruited to start off but deepens and darkens over dinner. Classy with a capital C. More traditional in Napa lingo. Dry and with a long finish. Not Cult-ish in the least. Enjoyed by all......glad to have two more bottles to enjoy over the next few years.
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