2016 Bob Cabral Wines Pinot Noir Troubadour
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Pinot Noir Troubadour is a standout in this tasting, especially for a ten-year-old wine. Beautiful floral nuances and rich black fruit feel very youthful, with a plush, enveloping mouthfeel. Bob Cabral told me he feels like he picked this fruit too ripe, but I don't see any of that here. The 2016 is so fleshy and sexy.
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Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
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The 2016 Pinot Noir Troubadour is powerful and spicy. "It was hard to restrain the wines in 2016," Bob Cabral recalls. "I want ripe tannins without too much alcohol. In those Goldridge soils, you have to meter out water during the warm summers. That has been the biggest challenge over the last few years." Medium ruby, it offers alluring scents of dark cherries, cranberries, pipe tobacco, mushrooms and forest floor with wafts of violet. The medium-bodied palate, despite its concentration and abundant, grainy tannins, is elegant and detailed, with bursts of refreshing acidity and a very long, spicy finish. It has plenty of life ahead in the cellar.
The 2016 Pinot Noir Cuvée Troubadour is pliant, supple and delicious, with plenty of Russian River exuberance on display. Ripe dark cherry, plum, spice and leather all flesh out in a creamy, beautifully nuanced Pinot loaded with class. I would give the 2016 a few years to come together, as the tannins need time to soften. Even in the early going, the 2016 is impressive.