Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In 2000, Rosemary Cakebread was still in charge, and production soared to more than 5,000 cases for the first time since 1992. This was a challenging vintage in California, but this wine is a real sleeper of that year and certainly one of the vintage’s strongest efforts. This was the first wine made entirely at the new Spottswoode Winery. The blend was identical to so many of the Spottswoode wines: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. Exotic, rich, blue and black fruits soar from the glass of this wine that seems open-knit, velvety textured and not terribly structured, but possessing beautiful fruit and fragrance. It is a sleeper selection and a beauty of medium body to drink over the next 7-8 years.
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Wine Spectator
Ultrarich and polished, with layers of plush plum, black cherry, currant and spice. Picks up anise, sage, herb and toasty oak flavors, finishing with firm tannins.
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.