2009 Special Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Meteor's flagship 2009 Special Family Reserve is richer and more implosive next to the Perseid Cabernet Sauvignon I tasted alongside it. A big, broad-shouldered wine, the 2009 boasts stunning depth and structure, along with equally imposing tannins. In my view, the Reserve isn't meaningfully better or more complex than the Perseid, just different in style. Ideally, the 2009 should be cellared for a few years and enjoyed for the next decade or so.

Meteor’s flagship 2009 Special Family Reserve is richer and more implosive next to the Perseid Cabernet Sauvignon I tasted alongside it. A big, broad-shouldered wine, the 2009 boasts stunning depth and structure, along with equally imposing tannins. In my view, the Reserve isn’t meaningfully better or more complex than the Perseid, just different in style. Ideally, the 2009 should be cellared for a few years and enjoyed for the next decade or so. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. First planted by vineyard guru Mike Wolf in 1999, Meteor has emerged as one of the top sites in Coombsville, not just for these wines, but also for the handful of other wineries who source fruit here. Dawnine Dyer makes the wines for proprietors Barry and Tracy Schuler, who came to Napa Valley after highly successful careers in technology. Tel. (707) 258-2900

Full red-ruby. Darker aromas of blackberry, licorice and minerals. Lush and supple on entry, then more closed and less spicy in the middle than the Perseid '09, but showing at least as much energy. Notes of cherry and leather emerged as the wine opened in the glass. Much more gripping on the long, building, firmly tannic finish. The reserve is essential made of clone 7 planted in 1999 on St. George rootstock.