Tasting notes

Complex and fun, with elements of smoke, toast, tea, nutmeg, brambles, cola and bubble gum (yes, bubble gum!). These lead to a sweet core of cherry fruit and spice. Mouthfilling and smooth, elegant and pretty. Showing nicely, especially when given time to open in the glass.

Rating

Wine Advocate 96 points (Dec 2008) The utterly profound 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc) will benefit from several years of bottle age, and should keep for 25-30 years. This extraordinary effort exhibits notes of blueberries, cassis, spring flowers, licorice, and forest floor. Beautifully pure and full-bodied with excellent overall harmony as well as superb purity, it reveals a Chateau Margaux-like personality. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2030. Spottswoode Vineyard is one of Napa’s most well-known landmarks, and its winemaking team, owner Beth Novack, and assistants Rosemary Cakebread and Jennifer Williams, represents a trifecta of talented young women. When the history of Napa’s great vineyards is written, the 40-acre Spottswoode Vineyard, tucked behind the quaint town of St. Helena, will be counted among the finest grand cru vineyards of the region. These wines have always been good, but over the last decade, the quality has soared, no doubt because of a much more strict selection in the vineyard as well as in the winery. A very fine second wine, Lyndenhurst, has also been introduced, which has increased the quality of the flagship offering, the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Like Bordeaux’s top chateaux, Spottswoode has gotten serious about turning out a very fine second wine that is softer and more accessible, yet represents their vineyard character.  Wine Spectator 93 points (Nov 15 2008) Tight and well-structured, with a firm, compact, dense mix of spicy currant, black cherry, plum and wild berry fruit that's pure and focused, revealing more subtle flavor nuances as this unfolds, along with depth and complexity. Best from 2010 through 2017. 4,290 cases made. –JL The prodigious 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate may be Spottswoode’s strongest effort since their superb 2002 and 2001. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a classic bouquet of violets, graphite, blueberries, and creme de cassis with hints of licorice and cedar. Stunningly pure and elegant as well as substantial and authoritatively flavored, this is a long, rich, concentrated wine with the grace of a ballerina. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and consume it over the following 20-25+ years