2010 Special Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Deep, bright ruby. Riper and deeper on the nose than the Perseid bottling, with blackberry, black cherry, tropical dark chocolate, licorice and gravelly minerality dominating. Thicker and larger-scaled as well, but with captivating floral and mineral high notes lifting the brooding black fruit flavors. Hugely concentrated, mouthfilling wine with explosive rising length and plush, broad, suave tannins that saturate the palate without leaving any impression of dryness. Really wonderful sweetness of fruit here without overripeness or heaviness. Maintained its shape and verve splendidly with 72 hours in the recorked bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good deep red-ruby. Complex, inviting aromas of black raspberry, redcurrant, flowers, minerals and graphite, complicated by a whiff of game. Sweet, lush and creamy, with wonderfully pliant, layered flavors of berries, minerals, and chocolate. A classic and very suave expression of Napa Valley cabernet made mostly from clone 7. A bit higher in pH (3.72) and lower in acidity than the 2010 Perseid. Finishes sweet and very long, with noble tannins. These vines on St. George rootstock go deep, giving the wine more minerality, says Bill Dyer, who makes this wine with his wife Dawnine.
Once again, the estate's 2010 Special Family Reserve stands out for its breadth and volume. At the same time, it also hasn't spent additional time in barrel it will eventually, so the flavor profile is actually quite similar to the Perseid at this juncture. That is a fancy way of saying the two wines aren't as different today as they are likely to be in another year. Black cherries, menthol, licorice, mint, white flowers and spices all flow through to the textured, polished finish.
Once again, the estate’s 2010 Special Family Reserve stands out for its breadth and volume. At the same time, it also hasn’t spent additional time in barrel it will eventually, so the flavor profile is actually quite similar to the Perseid at this juncture. That is a fancy way of saying the two wines aren’t as different today as they are likely to be in another year. Black cherries, menthol, licorice, mint, white flowers and spices all flow through to the textured, polished finish. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. First planted by vineyard guru Mike Wolf in 1999, Meteor has emerged as one of the top sites in Coombsville, not just for these wines, but also for the handful of other wineries who source fruit here. Dawnine Dyer makes the wines for proprietors Barry and Tracy Schuler, who came to Napa Valley after highly successful careers in technology. Tel. (707) 258-2900