2008 Keever Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville
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Tasting notes
(14.8% alcohol): Bright ruby. High-pitched scents of blackberry, blueberry, licorice, violet and minerals. Dense but juicy and light on its feet, offering seamless, essence-of-Cabernet flavors of cassis, black cherry and licorice. Nicely pliant but energetic wine with a restrained sweetness. Finishes with plush, smooth tannins and building dark fruit flavors that spread out to saturate the palate. This velvety Cabernet is nicely balanced and showing well now but has the strength of material to go on for years.
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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(100% cabernet sauvignon, from four clones planted in 1999 and 2001 on a steep, rocky hillside): Bright, deep red-ruby. Captivating aromas of rose petal, red licorice and minerals. Sweet and lush on entry, then supple in the middle, with a lightly medicinal quality to the black cherry, mineral and menthol flavors. Still a bit youthfully tight on the back end, finishing classically dry, with a flavor of raspberry.
There are 500 cases of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (again 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate vineyards in Yountville). Slightly denser, more structured, tannic and backward than the 2007, it is a full-bodied effort with notes of black currants, heady glycerin levels, and more toasty oak in the background (even though the percentage of new French oak used is essentially the same in each cuvee). The 2008 requires patience as 2-3 years of cellaring will be beneficial. It should drink well over the following 15 or more years. The high quality of the 2007 and 2008 vintages for Bordeaux varietals is clearly evidenced by these two offerings. Both wines demonstrate the personality of their particular vintage. Tel. (707) 944-0910.