2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Dark red. A strong herbal, peppery streak to the aromas of black cherry, cassis, licorice and menthol, with emerging hints of roasted fruit carrying onto the palate. Suave and fine-grained in texture, with a restrained sweetness and some repeating herbal character to its dark fruit flavors. Ultimately a wine of moderate complexity and persistence, with the tannins building with air. I pick up some evidence of the heat spikes in 2010.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Located on the famed Rutherford bench in the Napa Valley, the Frog's Leap estate covers 16 hectares and is farmed completely organically. The vineyards are maintained with natural cover crops, manual leaf thinning, tying and training. 2010 was a relatively cool vintage with lower temperatures throughout the growing season and a blast of heat during the vintage. Minimal intervention winemaking was practised when producing this wine, and the grapes were hand harvested in late September. Natural yeasts were used to encourage spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel, and the wine was aged for 19 months in French oak barrels. The wine was not filtered prior to bottling. Fresh, tarry nose but honest and fun. Just a tad too sweet on the palate but this is heartfelt Napa red – with some transparency. Always a little ahead of its time. (JR)