2007 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District
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Tasting notes
Riper on the nose than the Tomahawk Vineyard Cabernet, with a blackberry aroma complicated by sexy Stags Leap soil tones. Chewy, tactile and rather plush, but with its dark berry, licorice and spice flavors enlivened by bright acidity and saline minerality. This intensely flavored wine finishes with serious, firm tannins and lingering dark berries and spices. There's something Old World about this intriguing Cabernet, which will probably be better still in a few years. This is a less expensive wine than the Tomahawk Vineyard bottling but I preferred it to that wine. (ST)
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
(14.2% alcohol): Bright dark red. Expressive aromas of plum, cherry, mocha, cedar, brown spices and earth. Supple, sweet and fine-grained, with enticing red fruit flavors complicated by slight gamey reduction. This nicely silky Cabernet finishes with dusty, faintly drying tannins.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with enticing scents of raspberry jam, sweet herbs and spices. There is a centeredness and a poise to the 2009 that give the wine its sense of harmony and total balance. Sweet, floral notes reappear on the engaging finish. As good as this is today, it will only be better in another 2-3 years. This is another fabulous effort from Chimney Rock. The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. (AG)
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. A vintage without extremes, a winemaker’s dream come true. Dry spring, small berries, no heat spikes, no rain in spring, no rain during vintage. Each variety was fermented separately in stainless steel, skin contact ranging from 10-35 days. Aged for 18 months in 50% new and 50% used French oak. Bottled 1 June 2009. The nose seems to waft, gossamer-like, rather than leap out the glass. Perfumed. Blueberry. Then a really marked sweet intensity of fruit here. Something darker, almost a note of char but not quite. Quite jewelled and tight on the core, but it seems to be riper and warmer than the 2005. There is sumptuous flesh on this wine, but it’s not loose or flabby. Perfumed and melodious and long. (TC)