Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a perennially incredible wine for the price, rounded and spicy in clove. With 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot, it shows balance and integration—a mix of dark berry, forest and silky tannin that is seamless on the palate and impressively elegant and cohesive from start to finish.
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James Suckling
Lots of blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, round and soft tannins and a flavorful finish. 84% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot with cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Drink or hold.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet is a masterful and well-designed wine. TASTING NOTES: This tight-knit wine shows a keen edge while displaying lively red fruit and dried herbs in its aromas and flavors. Serve it with rosemary-infused, grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: May 13, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is blended of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it offers soft spoken notes of dried lavender, wild blueberries, fresh black currants and kirsch plus hints of dried herbs, unsmoked cigars and spice cake. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to support the muscular, beautifully retrained flavors, finishing on a lingering earthy note.
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.