2005 Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
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Bright, saturated ruby-red. Deep, showy nose combines blackberry, black raspberry, plum, licorice, flowers and black olive. Compellingly silky, plush, dense wine with terrific breadth and medicinal reserve--not to mention lovely inner-mouth lift--to its currant, licorice and mocha flavors. Finishes aromatic and very long, with firm but nicely buffered tannins and a whiplash of flavor. This impeccably balanced beauty, which I've rated very highly since the outset, is already quite sexy but still has a long life ahead of it. This was current winemaker Keith Emerson's first vintage at Vineyard 29; it was a year with huge quantity and high quality, he told me, as well as one of the latest harvests ever for this estate (October 24 through 27), which normally benefits from extended hang time. (ST)
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
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(14.8% alcohol): Bright ruby-red. Sexy chocolatey ripeness to the aromas of black raspberry, mocha, minerals and dried flowers; slightly high-toned in an exciting way. Plush, concentrated and sweet; a very ripe, deep bomb of fruits, minerals and spices, with complementary notes of earth, mocha, milk chocolate and tobacco. As attractive as this very smooth, full wine is today, it should also last well. Finishes with mellow torrefaction notes; big, ripe, noble tannins that saturate the front teeth; and terrific length.
A tiny production (674 cases) of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estates is pure, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous Richard Grace clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a 44-day maceration before the wine was aged 19 months in 90% new French oak. This wine performed better at ten years than it did initially. The dense, ruby/purple color remains youthful and younger than one would expect for a 10-year-old wine. The opaqueness goes right to the rim, the aromatics are stunning, and it offers a gorgeous display of blueberry, black raspberry and creme de cassis along with licorice, a touch of vanilla and graphite. This is one of the great superstars of 2005, which I underrated it from barrel as well as after it was released. It still has at least another 15-20 years of aging potential.
The east-facing hillside Vineyard 29 turns out superb Cabernet Sauvignon, but again there is not much of it. While the Cru negociant Cabernet Sauvignon represents 3,000 cases, there are just under 700 cases of the estate Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2005, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, is superb. Notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with smoky cassis and black cherries, a hint of white chocolate, and cedar are all present in this wine, which spent 17 months in French oak. Beautiful texture, medium to full body, and a totally seamless personality make for a gorgeous wine to drink now or cellar for 15 or more years. The impressive talents of viticulturalist David Abreu and winemaker/consultant Philippe Melka have turned Vineyard 29, owned by Chuck and Anne McMinn, into a bright new star of Napa. There are essentially two levels of wine here, the estate wines, which come from the Aida Vineyard and Vineyard 29, and of course their negociant wines, which are represented by the 3,000 or so cases of their Napa Cabernet Sauvignon called Cru. Previously recommended: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 29 Estate (95), 2004 Cru Proprietary Red (90). Tel. (707) 963-9292; Fax (707) 963-7848