2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece
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Tasting notes
(14.9% alcohol; a selection made from the winery's best barrels): Deep ruby-red. Brooding, medicinal aromas of crushed cassis and violet. Juicy, intense and sharply delineated, with utterly primary black fruit flavors. Happily, there's plenty of stuffing and depth here for aging, not to mention a firm tannic structure. Already shows lovely fine-grained texture and terrific lift but I'd give this very backward, palate-staining wine a good five or six years in the cellar.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Somewhat restrained, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack’s Masterpiece has a touch of Petite Verdot and Merlot in the blend. It displays a dense purple color and plenty of smoky notes intermixed with scorched earth, espresso roast, chocolate, and black currant. In the back, the tannins kick in, so this wine needs a few years of cellaring, but should keep for two decades. All of these wines are made by winemaking consultant David Ramey. I looked at some 2009 cuvees , the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Ellie’s, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack’s Masterpiece, and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Bergfeld. All of these wines should score between 90 and 95 points as they all have deep colors, beautiful pure fruit, the vintage’s tell-tale front-end loaded sweetness, balance and elegance as well as good freshness and depth. My favorites include the Diamond Mountain, Ellie’s, and Jack’s Masterpiece, with the latter being the most tannic along with the Bergfeld. All of these should be top-notch Cabernet Sauvignons that will last 20-25 years. If you haven’t jumped on the Hall bandwagon, it has been loaded with goodies for the last 3-4 years. Tel. (707) 967-2626; Fax (707) 967-2639