2017 Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
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One of the flagship releases, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate comes from the estate vineyard in St. Helena and is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 85% new French oak. It has a deep purple hue as well as a concentrated, full-bodied, masculine style that's very much in the vintage. Blackcurrant, scorched earth, chocolate, tobacco, and licorice notes all dominate the bouquet, but this puppy is closed, backward, and in need of 4-5 years of bottle age. It's loaded with potential, however, and has ripe tannins and a great mid-palate.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 29 is a powerful, brooding wine that is going to need at least a few years in bottle to be at its best, as the tannins are quite forbidding today. Hints of smoke, leather, licorice, menthol, black cherry and plum add to an impression of gravitas.
Containing a splash of Petit Verdot, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate is deep garnet-purple colored with black currant pastilles, preserved plums, baked raspberries, underbrush and sautéed herbs with menthol and chocolate box. The palate is full-bodied, firm and muscular with a fair bit of chew and a clipped finish.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate is another promising wine from Vineyard 29. The Estate is often slow to come out of the gate. As in years past, I expect all it needs is time. Today, the tannins are quite imposing, but there appears to be more than enough depth in the fruit to balance things out. About half of the fruit at the Estate vineyard was in before the fires, the other half was bulked out.