Tasting Notes for Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Red Wines	Cabernet Sauvignon	Napa Valley	California

My Rating (circle) :

Date Printed: 5/25/2013

Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

(search item no. 74802)

collectible wine

Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $51.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2009 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2009 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
2009 International Wine Cellar rating: 90 points
2008 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
2008 International Wine Cellar rating: 90 points
2007 The Wine Advocate rating: 92 points
2007 International Wine Cellar rating: 92 points
2005 Wine Enthusiast rating: 96 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
2005 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
2005 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 90 points
2004 The Wine News rating: 95 points
2004 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2004 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2002 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
2001 Wine Enthusiast rating: 95 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points

Winemaker's Notes:

The Cabernet harvest of 2000 was a return to "normal" for California standards after the late starts of the 1998 and 1999 vintages. The year came rolling in wet, with good rains throughout the early part of spring. A gradual warming throughout the spring season culminated in a summer that, save for a short heat spike in early June and a few hot days in July, was optimum for fruit and flavor development. We source Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Cabernet Franc from select vineyards in the alluvial benchlands of Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga where these varieties flourish. The 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is nothing short of inspiring and further underscores why this varietal is one of the major pursuits at Etude.

What distinguishes the 2000 vintage among recent seasons is how fine the tannins are. This young Cabernet has an uncanny accessibility that makes it unusually engaging. Heady aromas of violets, toasted coconut, milk chocolate and espresso spark the temptation to taste this wine. A rich, well-extracted entry begins with black cherry, European licorice and brief impression of nutmeg. Full bodied and layered with complexity, this is truly a gentle giant of a Cabernet. Velvety tannins complete the wine throughout a long, richly textured coffee finish.

My Notes:

About Etude Wines:

The underlying philosophy at Etude Wines is that winemaking begins in the vineyard, long before the grapes are harvested. Winemaker, Jon Priest, believes that superior grape growing diminishes the need for intervention by the winemaker and results in a wine that is grown, not made. Etude specializes in two classic red varieties: Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Though modeled on the best from Burgundy to Bordeaux, these wines speak clearly of their contemporary California origins, combining rich, ripe fruit with an elegant and opulent mouth feel.