2007 Special Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
(14.7% alcohol): Full medium ruby. Very Cabernet on the nose and palate, offering complex notes of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, licorice, leather, tobacco leaf, peppery herbs and bitter tropical chocolate. A step up from the Perseid bottling in depth and texture, although this pliant, fine-grained wine is still partly hiding its inherent sweetness behind powerful stony volcanic minerality. At once suave and strong, this Cabernet finishes with broad, well-buffered tannins and slowly building length. Balanced for a long evolution in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good full, bright ruby-red. Aromas of currant, tobacco and stone. Dense and sappy, with a strong saline, rocky quality to the raspberry and redcurrant flavors. Finishes a bit youthfully tough, with building but suave tannins. Except for the 2006 vintage, this four-barrel lot has been entirely from Clone 7, noted general manager Alexander, who told me that the winemakers are looking for richness, minerality and firm tannins.
While there is not much made, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is an exceptional wine (100 cases produced from Clone 7). Aged 22 months in 100% new French oak, the wood component is completely concealed by the cascade of dense blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with licorice, camphor and spice box. This full-bodied, powerful, opulent wine needs 2-3 years of cellaring and should last for 25+. Meteor’s cool climate, rocky vineyard in the Coombsville area of the southern Napa Valley is of volcanic origin. Tel. (707) 258-2900; Fax (707) 258-0200