2013 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon PNV
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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.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, like many 2013s, is still dense, concentrated, and powerful, with an almost gangly style that needs another 5-7 years of bottle age (I wouldn’t turn down a bottle today). Lots of ripe black fruits, cassis, chocolate, and graphite as well as a hint of mint define the nose, and it’s full-bodied, with a stacked mid-palate, building yet sweet tannins, and a great finish. It’s loaded with potential but needs bottle age.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet with a touch of purple and exudes pure black truffles on the nose to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a core of black cherries, warm blackcurrants and plum preserves with suggestions of eucalyptus, tilled soil, chargrill and new leather. Medium-bodied with a great intensity of earth-tinged black fruits, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and a long truffle-laced finish.
Glorious blueberries, blackberries, violets, and hot stones. Cloves and other spices. Even sliced mushrooms. Full body, very firm tannins, and a persistent and savory finish. A tight and polished young cabernet.
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.