Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The absolutely spectacular 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 100% new French oak. This sensational effort is one of the finest Cabernets made at Martini over the last few decades. It boasts a dense blue/purple hue along with an exceptional perfume of scorched earth/charcoal embers intermixed with creme de cassis, black cherries and dusty, loamy soil undertones. There is a distinctive earthiness to this cuvee as well as fabulously extracted fruit notes, full-bodied power and a rich finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. This wine, like so many 2007s, has sweet tannins and given its high glycerin content (no doubt from the 15.2% alcohol), it is drinkable already, but its best years are still ahead. Kudos to the Louis M. Martini winemaking staff.
While Sonoma County is acclaimed—and rightfully so—for its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandels, it also produces exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. Of the region’s 18 American Viticultural Areas, only a handful produce top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon. These appellations include Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, Sonoma Valley and Dry Creek Valley. Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignons made in these appellations can offer a complex array of aromas and flavors. Fruit notes such as blackberry, blackcurrant, cassis, black cherry and raspberry often are accompanied by hints of graphite, dusty earth, cigar box, toast and vanilla. The varietal has a rich history in Sonoma, and some of these Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet-based blends rival the best from Napa Valley.