1988 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (41) Avg Score: 91.5 points

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  12/31/2023 - West Coast Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Not much to say other than this is an exceptional wine!
  
  Cork was almost in perfect condition and showing only slight signs of age in the glass. Some oak, menthol and cassis on the nose after a short 20-30 min decant.
  
  Initial pour showed secondary flavors, fruit was muted but after decant really opened up and showed signs of tobacco, cedar and beautiful fruit (classic Napa Cab) especially fans of more traditional wines from years past. This drank like a 15 year old wine from a producer like Mayacamas, Diamond Creek or even Long Vineyards. This took me back and wish I had more. Drink now!

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  8/31/2023 - Chekib m. Likes this wine: 95 Points

  I found this bottle as I was sorting out my wine cellar. Thought I finished all the 88 vintage.
  Light to medium ruby in color, showing age.
  Very intense nose. Cedar and menthol at first and overwhelming, in a good way. Cassis and leather underneath.
  Medium body, spicy, soft and silky tannins. Intense flavours of cassis, leather, mint. Very balanced and intense flavours throughout.
  Extremmmmmmely long.
  Excellent!

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  9/13/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote: 93 Points

  This pours medium ruby in the glass with light bricking. The nose is very nice and remarkably youthful showing dark cherry, cedar shavings, blueberry, a whisp of menthol, tilled soil, and violets. The palate is resolved and lovely showing tremendous blueberry fruit paired with violets. Tannin is medium and acid is medium. The finish features very prominent fruit closing on abundant blueberries and cedar. All in all this is an enjoyable old school Napa Cabernet, but surprisingly not as resolved as expected with very punchy and prominent fruit. Nice wine but was up against some stiff competition tonight.

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  7/29/2022 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:

  Our last bottle of the "88. Basically the same notes as our 3/16/18 notes. A bit lighter red color with a 3/8" clear edge. Beautiful nose still and a great long finish. A tribute to Spottswoode quality. Hate to finish this vintage but we still have 25 vintages to go.

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  11/16/2021 - GrailCru Likes this wine:

  After having a few recent underwhelming Spottswoode cabs from the 90's this was a magical surprise. Wonderful wine. In a perfect window for this classic Napa cab. Leathers and a waft of licorice with a nice gob of red fruit still stuck in the middle. Wine took on more tertiary, earthy character after 2 hours in decanter, would possibly pop and pour next bottle, but also would wait too long to revisit as I don't see markers for getting any better over next 5years. This is on the level with a few other stars such as 1991 Montelena and 1994 Dunn HM.

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