2008 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Winemaker Rosemary Cakebread had experience of Petit Verdot at Spottswoode. But Oakville wines are so muscular that Oakville Petit Verdot is usually not an asset to the blend. Fruit for this came from Coombsville (Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon), Oakville Ranch (just above Dalla Valle and below Ovid – so quite high), and St Helena. She made all these wines to get experience of them. The Oakville Ranch is west-facing but tucked away so it’s not too hot, according to Cakebread. At 900–1200 ft (275–370 m) above the fog line. Not as great a diurnal variation as in St Helena. It’s owned by Mary Miner who sells most of the fruit. Phil Coturri farms it organically. Deep dark crimson. Very fine: rich but very appetising. Not sweet or fat. Very well balanced. Dry, toasty, appetising if slightly sudden finish. Racy and glossy. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
(14.8% alcohol): Bright ruby. Vibrant aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice and violet. Densely packed but light on its feet, showing terrific inner-mouth mineral lift to its juicy, tactile flavors of blackberry, cassis and menthol. Concentrated, savory and very long, finishing with serious but suave tannins and explosive violet persistence. This very youthful, nicely delineated wine is just short of its peak and should continue to evolve gracefully for another 15 years.
Saturated ruby. Captivating aromas of cassis, licorice, smoked meat and menthol. Highly concentrated and velvety, with solid mineral spine underlying the very pure dark fruit and bitter chocolate flavors. Most impressive today on the very long, rising finish, which features talc-like tannins and vibrant suggestions of minerals and rose pastille. This silky, suave wine is the venture of Rosemary Cakebread, who was winemaker at Spottswoode from 1997 through 2005 and still consults there.
The 2008 Gallica is slightly more structured and restrained. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, production is 50% higher than it was in 2007 (165 cases). This deep purple wine exhibits some notes of subtle barbecue smoke intermixed with black currants, blackberries, licorice, a hint of white chocolate, and some crushed rocks. Impressively endowed and full-bodied, with the tannins slightly more elevated, this wine will benefit from several years of bottle age and again last 20-25 years. Kudos to Rosemary Cakebread! A new project from long-time Spottswoode winemaking assistant Rosemary Cakebread, she is off to a roaring start – make no mistake about that. The winery name obviously has a double meaning, in that Gallica is the earliest known cultivated species of the rose, utilized in French perfumeries. Tel. and Fax: (707) 963-1096