1995 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, and the last wine made by Pam Starr at Rombauer Vineyards, the 1995 offers worthy competition to the magnificent 1994, which was more highly heralded. A touch of spring flowers, intermixed with crème de cassis, licorice, lead-pencil shavings and cedar, are all present in this wine of great intensity and full-bodied power, but with an elegance and finesse that, again, similarly suggests a Château Margaux made in St. Helena. This beautiful wine should continue to drink well for another 25 years.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Bright dark red. Fully evolved aromas of cherry, red berries, cedar and fresh herbs, lifted by a suggestion of dried flowers. Juicy but on the skinny side, showing limited mid-palate flesh and sweetness and a distinctly autumnal cast to its red fruit, mocha and herb flavors. Still some life here but little in the way of charm. A touch of peppery acidity on the finish.
Spottswoode’s 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon is a fabulous choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Sensual and intensely perfumed, but with plenty of underlying grip, the 1995 is super-expressive today. Sweet red cherry, plum, hard candy, mint and crushed flowers are all fused together. Silky and soft contours add to the wine’s considerable appeal. The 1995 is a decidedly ripe, open-knit, yet also deceptively mid-weight Cabernet from Spottswoode that should continue to age gracefully on its impeccable balance.
The 1995 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon was quite a bit more graceful and feminine in this context. It showed lovely purity and an open, accessible personality that made it quite approachable.
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.