2009 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Place
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Tasting notes
Bright medium ruby. Complex nose melds dark berries, menthol, licorice, crushed stone and graphite. Dense and layered on entry, then concentrated and extract-rich in the middle palate, showing superb lift and mineral grip to its intense, juicy flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and menthol. Really lovely inner-mouth energy here. Finishes very long and firmly tannic but not at all dry, spreading out to saturate the entire palate. This lovely bottle was a bit closer to peak drinkability than the equally strong sample that was part of my vertical tasting in the spring of 2018.
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Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(80% new oak): Dark ruby-red. Suave, inviting nose melds blackberry, licorice, sandalwood, violet and crushed rock. Concentrated, plush, chewy and large-scaled, but conveying a very backward quality to its medicinal black fruit, dark chocolate and mineral flavors. The very long, slowly mounting finish features big tannins that reach the front teeth, with the wine's vibrant acidity keeping this big boy locked up in the early going. A classic Napa Valley Cabernet in need of patience.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful wine. Floral notes are woven nicely throughout a core of explosive dark red fruit. Mint, spices and sweet tobacco wrap around the silky, floral-infused finish. The 2009 needs time to absorb its oak, but it appears to have enough density for that to happen.