2008 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
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Tasting notes
While all these wines have a certain Bordeaux-like character, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is unquestionably a dead-ringer for a great vintage of Château Margaux and has an incredibly complex, full-bodied, layered style carrying ample darker currant fruits, lots of chocolate, spice, smoked earth, and incense notes, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It opens up nicely with time in the glass and is fully mature yet should continue evolving for another 15-20 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
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A small crop of 1,953 cases and a final blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc emerged from the 2008 vintage, that was known for the damaging fires north of Napa and Sonoma that caused smoke damage to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards in Anderson Valley and sites on the Sonoma Coast. The wine from Spottswoode is pure and rich with deep ruby/purple color, a touch of blackcurrants and floral notes, a medium to full body, slightly chunkier and less profound than the 2007, but still another top-notch effort from this first-growth terroir. It should continue to drink well for another 15-20 years.
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.