2012 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
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Tasting notes
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is regal. Just starting to show aromatic complexity and openness, the 2013 is so impressive. Black cherry, plum, mocha, new leather, licorice, incense and dried herbs all build in the glass. The 2013 possesses remarkable depth and muscle, with all the tannic heft that is such a signature of the year. There's a bit more oak influence in the 2013 than there is today, but it works within the style of the wine and vintage. This heady Cabernet packs a serious punch. (AG)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
My favorite in the blind-tasted lineup extending from 2010 through 2020 was the opulent yet concentrated and impeccably structured 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. It boasts classic scents of cherries and cassis on the nose, with touches of vanilla and wood spice adding nuance on the medium to full-bodied palate. Imbued with tremendous intensity, the supple tannins and ripe acids necessary for aging and a long, complex finish, this wine truly has it all.
A wine that would easily rate a perfect score on its own, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a full-bodied, ripe, exuberant 2012 that brings lots of richness yet still stays weightless and graceful on the palate. Giving up plenty of pure cassis fruit as well as spice, chocolate, graphite, and tobacco, it’s that rare mix of power without weight. It does everything right and can be drunk any time over the coming two decades.
Excellent easy vintage. Savoury, autumnal mulch nose. Smooth and polished. Very gorgeous. Sweet ink. So easy to love without being sweet or facile. Great balance and elegance. So clean and fresh on the finish. (JR)
About the producer
Spottswoode is one of those rare Napa estates whose reputation rests less on volume or spectacle than on persistent exactitude. Set on the western edge of St Helena, where the Mayacamas rise and afternoon breezes temper the valley’s warmth, the vineyard occupies a favoured pocket of the appellation.