2011 Sloan Proprietary Red
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Tasting notes
Coming from a cooler, challenging vintage that was harvested mostly in October, the 2011 Proprietary Red is another Bordeaux-like effort (as are many 2011s from Napa) with a pretty nose of sweet currants, tobacco leaf, baking chocolate, and forest floor. Despite the cooler vintage, this certainly doesn't lack depth or concentration, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with ripe, nicely integrated tannins and outstanding length. Drink this complex, nuanced, layered 2011 over the coming 10-15 years.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Sloan is a powerful, deep wine that marries the textural richness that is such a signature here with the more savory profile typical of the year. Sloan is without question one of the more potent wines of this challenging harvest. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, new leather and licorice all power through. To be sure, the 2011 is an unusually savory Sloan, with less density than the estate fans have come to expect over the years, and yet its balance is impeccable. The 2011 should drink well for another decade.
Medium to deep garnet colored with a touch of purple, the 2011 Proprietary Red is a little youthfully closed, the nose slowly revealing beautiful lilacs and lavender scents with a core of blackcurrant cordial, blueberry pie and raspberry preserves plus wafts of oolong tea and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is gracefully expressed with stacks of mineral, floral and black fruit layers and a firm, grainy frame, finishing long with lingering earthy sparks. So wonderfully elegant.
About the producer
Sloan’s 13-acre estate vineyard, composed of mineral-rich, fractured volcanic rock and sandy loam, is located high in the eastern hills of Rutherford. Their inaugural vintage was 2000 and since it has grown a tremendous cult following for those lucky enough to get their hands on a few bottles.