2001 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Made by Rosemary Cakebread, now of Gallica. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. (Like so many Napa vintners caught out by AXR rootstock’s lack of phylloxera resistance, they replanted in the late 1980s and early 1990s block by block.) Deep crimson. Reverberant, evolved, gorgeous nose. Savoury finish after a rich, burnished palate. (JR)
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon is an absolutely glorious wine that is peaking today. The aromatics are so relaxed and open, while the tannins have softened beautifully. Sweet pipe tobacco, cedar, spice, mint and dried flowers are all signatures of a wine that is fully mature. The 2001 is not a huge wine, but it has plenty of depth. I would not push my luck too far on aging.
The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is liquid gold and as magnificent a Napa Valley Cabernet as I could imagine. Incredibly complex notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, and dried flowers all emerge from the glass, and this full-bodied, flawlessly balanced beauty has perfectly integrated tannins and a finish that keeps you coming back to the class. As with all the wines here, it has a classic elegance paired with beautiful richness. It’s drinking at point today (one bottle of this vintage was clearly tired) yet should continue to evolve gracefully for another decade and have a gradual decline.
Good full dark red. Alluring, complex aromas of currant, boysenberry, game, coffee bean and mocha, along with some sexy nutty oak and a touch of floral lift. Supple and plush but firm on entry, then alive in the middle palate, even if the flavors of plum, berries, dark chocolate, tobacco and spices appear to be a bit past their peak. Still, this nicely concentrated wine boasts good density of texture and inner-mouth lift and is beautifully filled in without being heavy or sweet. I initially thought that slightly spiky acidity gave the middle palate a faint dryness but my sample held up beautifully for 48 hours and I raised my score and extended my peak drinking plane. In fact, this wine showed better balance and greater sweetness and breadth with extended aeration and lost its spiky quality. (20th anniversary bottling)
About the producer
Spottswoode is one of those rare Napa estates whose reputation rests less on volume or spectacle than on persistent exactitude. Set on the western edge of St Helena, where the Mayacamas rise and afternoon breezes temper the valley’s warmth, the vineyard occupies a favoured pocket of the appellation.