2021 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley

Winemaker's Notes: Stunning! Beautiful aromatics of candied violet, blackberry, blueberry yogurt, and cassis. Powerfully expressive with sturdy, firm tannins, generous acidity, and a long lively finish marked by cedar and toffee notes. An elegant vintage, this spectacular wine captures the essence of the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard. It is fresh and youthful now with a long life ahead. Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Wilfred Wong - "I began my Spottswoode journey with the winery's maiden release, the 1982 vintage; I never stopped, and 40 years later, I still get goosebumps when popping this wine's cork. I tasted the 2021 with Alice's family at our Christmas Dinner. Not only was I amazed (as I often had been with each new release, but one of Alice's sisters, Nancy, who is not a regular wine drinker, loved the wine and commented that it was smooth and "delicious." This vintage excites with aromas and flavors of compelling blackberries, exotic spices, hints of licorice, and focused cassis. We savored this wine with our succulent Prime Rib Roast."


James Suckling - "Pure black currants on the nose with an incredible al dente grape character. It’s almost like grape must. Undertone of ink and violets and sandalwood. Perfumed. Hints of spearmint. Full-bodied, but so well-formed and reserved. A touch of mint on the palate with dark fruits. It is very complete and reminds me of the classy Spottswoode 2001. I keep being impressed with the purity of fruit with the earthy undertones and stones. Savory. A fitting 40th anniversary wine. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc, and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2027. "


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "Slated for a September 2024 release, Spottswoode's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes across as more vibrant, floral and fresh than the 2020. Violet and cassis notes are accented by hints of crushed stone and pencil shavings on the nose. Hugely complex yet harmonious, this medium-bodied effort is firm but silky in feel, with a long, elegant finish. Lovely stuff. Rating: 98+"


Jeb Dunnuck - "Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep, dense purple color as well as a primordial nose of ripe black fruits, cassis, camphor, scorched earth, violet, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Reminding me of a young Leoville Las Cases with its closed, dense, structured style, it's concentrated, has a pure, layered, focused style, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It needs 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The blend of the 2021 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. Rating: 98+"


Vinous - "The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic wine off this estate. Bright and floral, with silky tannins, the 2021 is exceptionally finessed and so elegant. I can't remember another vintage like it. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2021 spent 20 months in barrel, 60-65% new, mostly French, with a touch of Hungarian wood."


Wine Spectator - "This offers a gorgeous display of pure, unadulterated mulberry, boysenberry and plum fruit puree flavors that glisten as they move along, throwing off light accents of anise, violet and hibiscus along the way. Inlaid with an underlying fine-grained structure in the form of sleek threads of iron and alder, this shows tensile strength while extending through the long, refined finish. "