No detailed notes taken. We dived into four of the 2019 Napa heavyweights. This vintage really sings a tune of density, aromatic depth, complexity, and precision, all the while maintaining a good freshness. The fruit, though ripe, doesn't quite tip into the overt ripeness we saw back in 2015. And it's structured and fresh, (but not 2013 structured), carrying its weight with grace. Given a bit more time, these wines are bound to shed their youthful exuberance, evolving into something even more compelling.
Winner was the Spottswoode (95pts) as it was the best composed and balanced wine, with the least excess and ripeness and the most earthy notes to balance the fruit. The Abreu Madrona (94pts) was a tad behind but is so wonderfully structured, with the most luxurious tannins and a incredibly high complexity that it will easily overtake the Spottswoode in a decade. The Abreu Las Posadas (92pts) is deep, highly precise, with an elegant structure but bit too exuberant today. The Bryant Bettina (91pts, from magnum) was the most weightless wine of all four but with an intensity, a ripeness and oak level that is beyond of what I would want to drink.
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This wine compared to other 2019's is a hold to drink. Still has a long way to go. Nice wine, but if you are going to drink, decant for at least 3 hours. Cheers
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Dégustation Spottswoode avec Beth Weber Novak: Superbe vin rond et plein, des tanins soyeux, équilibre exceptionnel . Hédoniste et plein, mais doux et fin. Étrange de le boire en fin de soirée (je ne l’avais pas vu passer), mais il vaut le détour. Supérieur au 2020, 2014 et 2007, un futur 2002? Superbe! 96+
Beth Novak (owner) talked about 2019 as being the perfect vintage, however I found the wine quite lean and sharp. Clearly they have changed style since the 2000's. This will need at least another decade before it softens, doubt it will ever be great.
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Spottswoode Tasting in London: I don’t understand the super high scores as this came across almost like a fruit bomb, albeit balanced and with a hint of restraint.
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2023 Napa in the City: Tasting & Lunch (The Pool/Grill): Darker cranberry, spices, good balance. Very young and not even remotely ready to drink at this point, but you can see it’s going in a goo direction. Blend of 90% Cabernet Sav, 6% Cab Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A winery that has been ahead of the curve (they’ve been organic since 1985) and also one that I always seem to like when I have it (except for a few older ones where we’ve struggled with corks). Very classic and drinks well.
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The wine was not decanted and was opened sometime earlier in the day and poured into our glasses shortly before we arrived.
The wine is a blend of approximately 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc with the remainder of Petit Verdot. There were floral aromas with red and blue fruits peaking through and hints of cedar cigar box. The 2019 was more aromatic than the 2020 at this stage. The palate was of red and black cherries, slight blue/black fruit, brown spices, minerality and cocoa. The body was medium to medium-full with fine grained tannins. It is not overly concentrated.
The wine maybe starting to shutdown a little or it required a long DD followed by a regular decant to truly strut its stuff. I'm wondering if the wine may gain a little more weight and integration with extended time in the cellar. It's a very well made wine with great potential but it was missing the complexity I've experienced with the 2012 and the 2013 Spottswoode Estates.
My score during this tasting is 94.5 but there is tremendous upside with medium to long-term cellaring.
At most this is medium bodied and frankly..... a disappointing cabernet. More blue fruit than black on the pallete. Aromatics were also mild and I am wondering if this deserved a longer decant.
All that disappointment aside, heron is a wine that has enormous potential for improvement. Perhaps I opened this too early but it has the acidity and tannin to demonstrate improbable wine. This one might need another 5 years so be careful if buying now. Yo will have too hold and not drink as I did.
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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: Expressive nose displaying dark red and darker fruit. On the palate this is intense, loads of sour cherries, herbs, some tobacco. Fresh and young, obviously but already superbly elegant. In its infancy, this is not yet laden with complexity but will certainly fill out more with time. Will be quite interesting to follow this wine over time.
Decanting: Opened 6 hours prior to the tasting. Quickly double decanted 3 hours prior to the tasting which was enough.
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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: This was interesting in that it was the only wine that lead with herbal aromas instead of fruit. The latter was rather classic with red and black currant. There were also whiffs of Christmas spices, tobacco and espresso. The palate was juicy, polished with both tension and power.
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A wonderful expression of both vintage and estate. The 2019 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon displays aromas of brambles, red current, dark carriers, red florals, wild tyme, cacao and earthy notes. The palate has phenomenal energy, showcasing juicy dark red fruit, velvety layers of cocoa, herbs and spice along with seamless tannins finishing long. This is not showing all of it's cards yet and I feel this might bump up a point or so in the coming years. 97++
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3/16/2024 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
No detailed notes taken. We dived into four of the 2019 Napa heavyweights. This vintage really sings a tune of density, aromatic depth, complexity, and precision, all the while maintaining a good freshness. The fruit, though ripe, doesn't quite tip into the overt ripeness we saw back in 2015. And it's structured and fresh, (but not 2013 structured), carrying its weight with grace. Given a bit more time, these wines are bound to shed their youthful exuberance, evolving into something even more compelling.
Winner was the Spottswoode (95pts) as it was the best composed and balanced wine, with the least excess and ripeness and the most earthy notes to balance the fruit. The Abreu Madrona (94pts) was a tad behind but is so wonderfully structured, with the most luxurious tannins and a incredibly high complexity that it will easily overtake the Spottswoode in a decade. The Abreu Las Posadas (92pts) is deep, highly precise, with an elegant structure but bit too exuberant today. The Bryant Bettina (91pts, from magnum) was the most weightless wine of all four but with an intensity, a ripeness and oak level that is beyond of what I would want to drink.
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11/22/2023 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine compared to other 2019's is a hold to drink. Still has a long way to go. Nice wine, but if you are going to drink, decant for at least 3 hours. Cheers
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10/4/2023 - d'Artagnan wrote: 96 Points
Dégustation Spottswoode avec Beth Weber Novak: Superbe vin rond et plein, des tanins soyeux, équilibre exceptionnel . Hédoniste et plein, mais doux et fin. Étrange de le boire en fin de soirée (je ne l’avais pas vu passer), mais il vaut le détour. Supérieur au 2020, 2014 et 2007, un futur 2002? Superbe! 96+
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9/23/2023 - Philip67 wrote: 92 Points
Beth Novak (owner) talked about 2019 as being the perfect vintage, however I found the wine quite lean and sharp. Clearly they have changed style since the 2000's. This will need at least another decade before it softens, doubt it will ever be great.
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9/15/2023 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spottswoode Tasting in London: I don’t understand the super high scores as this came across almost like a fruit bomb, albeit balanced and with a hint of restraint.
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4/17/2023 - Martin24 wrote: 99 Points
To je dokonalosť sama. Bez slov. Škoda že som to otvoril teraz. Dekantované pri teplote 20 C 12 hodín.
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3/11/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
2023 Napa in the City: Tasting & Lunch (The Pool/Grill): Darker cranberry, spices, good balance. Very young and not even remotely ready to drink at this point, but you can see it’s going in a goo direction. Blend of 90% Cabernet Sav, 6% Cab Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A winery that has been ahead of the curve (they’ve been organic since 1985) and also one that I always seem to like when I have it (except for a few older ones where we’ve struggled with corks). Very classic and drinks well.
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2/28/2023 - JustBreathe680 Likes this wine: 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.
The wine is a blend of approximately 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc with the remainder of Petit Verdot. There were floral aromas with red and blue fruits peaking through and hints of cedar cigar box. The 2019 was more aromatic than the 2020 at this stage. The palate was of red and black cherries, slight blue/black fruit, brown spices, minerality and cocoa. The body was medium to medium-full with fine grained tannins. It is not overly concentrated.
The wine maybe starting to shutdown a little or it required a long DD followed by a regular decant to truly strut its stuff. I'm wondering if the wine may gain a little more weight and integration with extended time in the cellar. It's a very well made wine with great potential but it was missing the complexity I've experienced with the 2012 and the 2013 Spottswoode Estates.
My score during this tasting is 94.5 but there is tremendous upside with medium to long-term cellaring.
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2/14/2023 - tomoem wrote: 91 Points
At most this is medium bodied and frankly..... a disappointing cabernet. More blue fruit than black on the pallete. Aromatics were also mild and I am wondering if this deserved a longer decant.
All that disappointment aside, heron is a wine that has enormous potential for improvement. Perhaps I opened this too early but it has the acidity and tannin to demonstrate improbable wine. This one might need another 5 years so be careful if buying now. Yo will have too hold and not drink as I did.
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12/18/2022 - Cailles wrote: 94 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: Expressive nose displaying dark red and darker fruit. On the palate this is intense, loads of sour cherries, herbs, some tobacco. Fresh and young, obviously but already superbly elegant. In its infancy, this is not yet laden with complexity but will certainly fill out more with time. Will be quite interesting to follow this wine over time.
Decanting: Opened 6 hours prior to the tasting. Quickly double decanted 3 hours prior to the tasting which was enough.
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12/8/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 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:
This was interesting in that it was the only wine that lead with herbal aromas instead of fruit. The latter was rather classic with red and black currant. There were also whiffs of Christmas spices, tobacco and espresso. The palate was juicy, polished with both tension and power.
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11/18/2022 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent! Strong tannins -- look forward to the others after more time in the bottle
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9/16/2022 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 94 Points
Tasted at the winery. Red fruited nose and palate. Primary at this stage. Supple tannins with refreshing acidity. Elegant style and low ABV.
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6/18/2022 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine:
Quick notes drinking at the Spottswoode garden party. Medium ruby, star bright.
On the nose bright cassis, cedar, Napa dust, fresh tobacco. Cherry flavored tobacco.
There’s beautiful minerality on the palate, which can be challenging to find in Napa Valley. Has restraint.
Medium alcohol, full body, medium acidity. Fine grained but firm tannins lends good structure.
This drinks beautifully now but will be fantastic with age. Better than 2018?
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6/18/2022 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at Spottswoode’s garden party 2022.
Very approachable and delicious. Really should be something special with some bottle age!
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5/5/2022 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 97 Points
A wonderful expression of both vintage and estate. The 2019 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon displays aromas of brambles, red current, dark carriers, red florals, wild tyme, cacao and earthy notes. The palate has phenomenal energy, showcasing juicy dark red fruit, velvety layers of cocoa, herbs and spice along with seamless tannins finishing long. This is not showing all of it's cards yet and I feel this might bump up a point or so in the coming years. 97++
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