2012 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale
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The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale, aged 32 months in 30% new French oak, is notably balanced for the lush 2012 vintage. It has a deep ruby color and is still distinctly youthful on the nose, offering a supple core of Morello cherries with savory accents of cast iron, beef carpaccio, bouquet garni and dried roses. The palate is powerful yet elegant, deeply fruited yet lifted, with pixelated tannins and bursts of fresh acidity supporting all that pure flavor. Alluring 10 years on, it still seems not to have reached its zenith and will continue to evolve in bottle over the next decade. 790 cases were made.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Arrowood's 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale was striking when I tasted it from barrel last year, but it was filtered prior to bottling, which stripped away so much of what made it so special. The 2012 is such a pedigreed wine that even after filtering what remains is a refined, delicate Sonoma Cabernet with good overall balance. Sweet tobacco, grilled herbs, rose petal and anise shape the expressive finish. Although an excellent wine, the 2012 Reserve Speciale could have been, and should have been, exceptional. Perhaps even more than that.
Savory herbs, tobacco, smoke, iron and dried flowers form a striking tapestry of aromas and flavors in the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale. Delicate and understated in the glass, the 2012 impresses for its exceptional overall balance and pure pedigree. This is another wine with a very bright future.