2011 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District

A little lean but some pleasing dark-berry and fresh-herb character. Medium body. Clean finish. Lacks a center palate. Drink and enjoy now.

Tobacco, wild flowers, mint, earthiness and dark red cherries are some of the many notes that take shape in the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District. A beautifully nuanced, articulate wine, the 2011 stands out for its energy, polish and balance. This is a very pretty, feminine Cabernet Sauvignon from Barnett.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain is a more backward, earthy, less appealing wine for near-term drinking. It exhibits a deep, briery, brambly, berry fruit-scented bouquet with distinctive earthy, underbrush notes in the background. Medium-bodied with hints of wood and tannin, it finishes slightly dry and austere, but there is good material to be found despite the challenges of the 2011 vintage. Give this offering another year or two of bottle age and drink it over the following decade. As hard as it is for me to believe, Barnett Vineyards is celebrating their 30th anniversary, having jumped into the winemaking business at their beautiful estate high on Spring Mountain in 1983. Tel. (707) 963-7075