Professional Ratings

• 95 Wine Enthusiast
  Here the high alcohol does not obscure the layered fruits and overall complexity of this exceptional Cabernet. Thick, ripe and richly endowed, it keeps its black fruit, ripe tannins and liquorous barrel notes all in proportion, and pulls in top flight fruit from Champoux, Sagemoor, the estate vineyard and other select sites. Earth, cedar and tobacco notes highlight the extended finish. Cellar Selection
• 91 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Woodward Canyon's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series – half of which comes from Champoux Vineyard and nearly a third from the estate (the minor lots also hailing from prestigious sites) – is surprisingly able to handle its 15.8% alcohol with only a hint of residual heat. High-toned and inner-mouth floral elements seem to point toward the blend's 15% Cabernet Franc (there being lesser amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot) in an otherwise round, rich, sweetly dark berry-fruited performance. Hints of macaroon and vanilla from barrel in no way detract from the purity of fruit, nor from the buzzing, tingling sense of energy conveyed in a tenacious yet not at all roughly tannic finish.