| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | U.S.A. > California > Napa Valley |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is every bit as impressive as it was last year. Vertical and statuesque, the 2023 dazzles from start to finish. Gravel, red cherry jam, rose petal, cedar and new leather soar from the glass. Firm tannins shape this vibrant, intensely saline Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a wine to bury deep in the cellar. Classic Spottswoode all the way.
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon sports a deep garnet-purple color. It needs a little shaking to wake up notes of fresh blackberries, kirsch, and blackcurrant jelly, followed by nuances of violets, black olives, crushed rocks, and mossy tree bark. Medium-bodied, the palate is filled with energetic black and red berry layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and wonderful tension, finishing long and earthy. This will easily cellar for 30 years+.
Spottswoode's 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon will be offered to mailing list members in March 2026, prior to a general release in September 2026. It's certainly a strong effort, even for this benchmark producer, featuring layers of dark, dense cassis, blackberry and blueberry fruit. The new oak component has been completely subsumed by the fruit in this medium- to full-bodied wine. Greater density and concentration somehow come without weight, supported by silky tannins. Featuring a lovely, elegant mouthfeel and tremendous length on the finish, it should stand tall among the many legends produced at this estate. Drink: 2028-2050
Elegant, fragrant from the first breath. Peony notes, giving the wine a subtle silky-petal perfume. Deeper sweetness following in damsons and black cherry. A touch of char and tobacco sketching out the frame. Tannins like ruched cashmere. The wine is almost burgundian in its flow and reticent but lustrous energy. Violets, loamy liquorice. And then the tannins do this pushback, like brushing velvet against wood grain. Cassis floods the finish. Drink: 2027-2050
