2008 Viader Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Blend
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Tasting notes
Dark red-ruby. Musky, spicy aromas of currant, minerals, balsamic cedar and soy sauce, lifted by a subtle minty high note. A moderately ripe, nicely delineated midweight, offering juicy flavors of currant, coffee, mocha, truffle, minerals and chocolate mint. Finishes with big, serious, tongue-dusting tannins and lingering notes of truffle and balsamic vinegar. Ready to drink but still has the energy and tannic support for another decade of development in bottle.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Healthy crimson with an aged rim. Very complete and evolved with a furry edge but not sickly and not OTT. Real structure with a soaked quinoa quality. Very substantial wine. Lots of complexity to discover here. Clean finish. (JR)
(69% cabernet sauvignon and 31% cabernet franc): Good full red. Enticing, complex nose combines aromas of cherry, raspberry, violet, minerals, coffee and spices. Broad, lush and smooth, with pretty floral lift to the red fruit and spice flavors. Nicely delineated in the middle palate and long on the back end, where the ripe tannins coat the teeth. The crop level here was reduced by a bad flowering, said Alan Viader, but the loose clusters were an advantage later in the season. The harvest was ultimately very early.
(71% cabernet sauvignon and 29% cabernet franc) Full medium red. Cherry, flowers, licorice and minerals on the nose. Then energetic and intense in the mouth, with savory fruit and floral flavors joined by a strong element of crushed rock. Not at all a candied style of Napa cabernet; in fact, this is downright serious. The tannins reach the front teeth on the long, juicy, floral finish. This is a full degree lower in alcohol than the 2007, according to winemaker Alan Viader, who left the leaves on the vines to protect the fruit against late-season heat spikes and parching sun. "The season never got too warm," he told me, "although the ripeness was jagged. It took work to get the density needed to fatten up the wines." This looks to be a worthy successor to the superb 2007.