2022 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Aged for 20 months in oak (88% French, 12% American; 62% new). Tasted blind. Excellent definition and clarity to the fruit on the nose: black cherry, blackcurrant, but there’s a cranberry flavour too – this is nicely diverse in fruit quality. Soft tannins, glossy texture, long and fruit-driven finish. Pure pleasure. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Recently released (September 2025), Spottswoode's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps slightly bigger than usual for this property but still retains a sense of freshness. Loaded with cassis and blackberries, it's full-bodied, plush and voluptuous, yet also long and mouthwatering on the finish. Wonderfully forward but balanced, the juicy fruit is successfully framed by silky, soft tannins. It's a vintage to enjoy while waiting for the 2021 and 2023 to mature.
Looking at the flagship, it's a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised all in barrel. Its deep purple hue is followed by classic notes of crème de cassis, new leather, graphite, and spring flowers. This carries to a medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, layered, elegant Cabernet that will benefit from 5-6 years of bottle age, which is incredibly rare for a 2022 and will evolve for two decades.
86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Certified biodynamic, organic and regenerative. Deep purple. Dense blue and black fruit on the nose with stony/mineral subtlety. Incredibly structured on the palate with fine tannin and fresh acid. Very long and concentrated with ample spice. Needs much more age than Lyndenhurst. (SCJ)
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.