Winemaker Notes
The 2022 shows poise with vibrant acidity fresh blackberries, raspberry compote, cranberry skins, and dried rose petals. Striking minerality lays the base for cardamom, dried herbs, warm cedar, and iron-driven earth. Young tannins allow a midline drive and hint at future power. Delightful now, this holds gripping potential.
Blend: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
The five Bordeaux grapes from organically farmed, family-owned vineyards across Napa Valley form the foundation for this elegant red; aged 20 months in mostly French oak, it's reminiscent of Saint-Estèphe in style. With a surge of iron minerality and notes of tart red cherry,. rooibos tea, and toasted cedar, it's an Earth Mother that's generous in its breadth and depth of flavor. The tannins are present and demonstrate the wine's youthfulness, but its structure and character are undeniable.
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Decanter
The 2022 Lyndenhurst from Spottswoode was aged 20 months in 48% new French oak, blending fruit from the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard with selections from Carneros, Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, and St. Helena. The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend is rounded out by 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Ripe black cherry, leather, liquorice, and cedarwood leap from the glass, while super-suave tannins are neatly stacked, providing structure and finesse. Savoury dried violets intertwine with black olive and cherry pit, leading to a long, bright finish infused with blood orange acidity—a harmonious and refined expression with depth and energy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is characterized on the nose by ripe cherries, hints of cedar and dried spices. A blend of all five Bordeaux varieties, aged in approximately 50% new French oak, it's medium- to full-bodied, silky and plush. Already very drinkable but not flaccid, this shows lovely shape and delineation on the palate, reinforced by silky, fine-grained tannins on the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Spottswoode Estate & Winery, one of the world’s top-tier wine producers, has released another excellent effort. The stylish and striking 2022 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon offers a graceful blend of ripe blackberries, sandalwood, and oaky notes. After a few years, serve it with an oven-roasted pork tenderloin. (Best Served: 2027-2037)
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec and aged 20 months in 48% new oak, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst reveals ripe black cherries, new leather, dried flowers, and spicy notes. It's medium-bodied, supple, and nicely textured, with ripe, polished tannins, good mid-palate depth, and a great finish.
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James Suckling
Very fruity and generous, bursting with cherries, blackberries and raspberries on the nose, and creamy blueberries and strawberries on the palate. Toast, cedar and savory nuances come out with more sips. Full-bodied, long and rich. Rather soft tannins.
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Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is a very classy wine. Silky and aromatic, this is all finesse. Sweet floral top notes meld into spice, rose petal, lavender and new leather. More than anything else, the 2022 impresses with its gracious personality. This is a very pretty and complete Lyndenhurst. The blend is approximately 60% purchased and 40% estate fruit. One of the recent developments here has been the addition of sites in cooler regions such as Howell Mountain and Oak Knoll that ripen later and are therefore somewhat protected from the heat. That paid off significantly in 2022.
Spottswoode is an historic, family-owned estate vineyard and winery located on the western edge of St. Helena in Napa Valley. The estate was established in 1882 by George Schonewald, whose historic Victorian home is depicted on the label. Spottswoode was christened by Mrs. Albert Spotts, whose family owned the property from 1910 until its purchase in 1972 by Mary Weber Novak and her husband, Dr. Jack Novak. After Jack died unexpectedly in 1977, Mary carried out their shared dream, and Spottswoode’s debut Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1982, exactly one hundred years after the estate’s founding.
To ensure the highest quality, Spottswoode is dedicated to producing a handful of wines in very limited quantities: Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Lyndenhurst, and Field Book. The winery's goal is to produce exceptional, well-balanced, structured wines that exhibit texture, elegance, consistency and the ability to age well.
The 40-acre Spottswoode Estate Vineyard is an ideal terroir for growing wine grapes. Situated on the apex of the Sulphur Creek fan, the alluvial soils comprised primarily of sandy clay loam provide superb drainage. The gap between the Mayacamas Range and Spring Mountain admits cooling maritime breezes that temper the sun’s heat, creating an ideal microclimate for winegrowing. Among the first to introduce organic farming practices in the Napa Valley in 1985, Spottswoode is proud to have enjoyed the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) certification since 1992 and Demeter Biodynamic Certification since 2020. Spottswoode is also Napa Valley’s first Certified B-Corp winery.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.