Spottswoode 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

A seamless blending of oak, fruit, tannins and acidity, this Spottswoode cabernet carries a rich component with it but is nonetheless a reserved wine, not the trendy fruit forward wines you find out of Napa these days. Comprised of all estate fruit, mainly cabernet sauvignon with just 7% cabernet franc and 4% petite verdot, it was aged 20 months with 60% new French oak barrels. It offers mature blackberry, blueberry, huckleberry and boysenberry, and a noticeable mocha note upon the initial entry. This is one of their most approachable wines of this caliber in several years. The tannins are a little bit less than previous years but the payoff of initial enjoyment is faster. There are back notes of plum and graphite. Spottswoode has always been about restraint, deftly handling each vintage and consistently producing wines of exceptional character. The 2017 cabernet is part of a long and impressive lineage of what should be considered a Napa First Growth property.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley
ALCOHOL: 13.7%
PRICE: $225 (750 ml)
SCORE: 94 POINTS

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Spottswoode 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

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