2010 Passionnement Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Full medium ruby to the rim. Darker and more brooding on the nose than the Coeur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon, showing less floral complexity and high-pitched perfume to its aromas of cassis, black cherry and sexy spicy oak. Richer, darker and every bit as concentrated than the Coeur de Vallée but in a distinctly more muscular. This larger-scaled, more powerful Cabernet still needs time to soften, but it has the stuffing to support a long life in bottle. Finishes with huge tannic clout, a touch of dark chocolate and palate-coating length. Today the Coeur de Vallée is sexier and more floral; I prefer that wine for its juiciness, balance and lift. A barrel selection from Beckstoffer To Kalon and Beckstoffer Hopper, both in Oakville, and Morlet Estate in St. Helena.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(made from Morlet's best barrels of cabernet): Bright, deep ruby. Aromas of cassis, licorice and graphite lifted by a violet topnote. At once sweet and penetrating, with terrific intensity and cut to the flavors of dark berries, licorice, spices, herbs, graphite and minerals. Already conveying strong personality and yet this wine is muscular and medicinal in the early going. The firm tannins avoid dryness, suggesting that this wine will gain with bottle age. The '09 version was more feminine than this one, but I'd like to taste the two vintages side by side in ten years.
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnement covers every inch of the palate with sweet dark cherries, plums, menthol, licorice and sweet spices. A round, sumptuous wine, the 2010 impresses for its phenomenal balance and class. The integration of fruit, acidity and structure is flat-out great. Although the 2010 starts shutting down in the glass quickly, the wine's potential is immediately evident. To tell the truth, the Passionnement is rarely my favorite Morlet wine, but the 2010 is drop-dead gorgeous.
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnement covers every inch of the palate with sweet dark cherries, plums, menthol, licorice and sweet spices. A round, sumptuous wine, the 2010 impresses for its phenomenal balance and class. The integration of fruit, acidity and structure is flat-out great. Although the 2010 starts shutting down in the glass quickly, the wine’s potential is immediately evident. To tell the truth, the Passionnement is rarely my favorite Morlet wine, but the 2010 is drop-dead gorgeous. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Luc and Jodie Morlet’s 2010s are off the charts. The 2010s have huge structure, but the fruit is so ripe and voluptuous in these wines that the perception of tannin is often imperceptible. The 2009s, on the other hand, are made from grapes that weren’t as physiologically ripe, so the tannins remain firm and in need of time in bottle to soften. As good as the Morlet range is, the most exciting wine appears to be the Morlet Estate, from a vineyard in St. Helena the Morlets purchased a few years ago. Tel. (707) 967-8690; www.morletwines.com