Lighter in hue and less generously fruited than many other recent vintages, Spottswoode's 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is minty and red-fruited, with cherries dominating the nose and medium-bodied palate. In this tasting, it came across as slightly herbal and astringent on the finish, so perhaps it's merely going through a closed phase in its evolution and will improve from here.
TWI
97pts
The Wine Independent
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, with 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. The nose features youthful cassis and wild blueberries notes with suggestions of black raspberries, mulberries, and roses, plus wafts of chocolate box and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate bursts with fragrant fruit, featuring firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
A soft, velvety red with dark-berry, blackcurrant and plum aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, creamy and delicious. Pretty tension of fruit and tannins. Very refined. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. Drink or hold.
Spottswoode's 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has been simply tremendous on both occasions I have tasted it so far. Sweet red cherry, red plum, flowers and mint give the 2017 striking freshness to complement its decidedly mid-weight structure. The intense heat of the vintage caused ripening to slow down and yielded a wine with just 13.7% alcohol, which is low for both the estate and Napa Valley in general. Spottswoode was one of the first estates in the valley to adopt a more moderate approach to farming and that really paid off in 2017, as a wine of this level in that year could have only resulted from impeccable farming. In a word: magnificent!
This is from the producer's organically farmed estate and blended with 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A beautiful, elegant and youthful wine, it offers seamless texture and integration, quiet hints of blueberry and black currant and a hint of cocoa powder. Gentle in nature and approach, it has a complex depth and more to say. Enjoy best from 2027 through 2037. (Cellar Selection)
A sheen of vivid, juicy blackcurrant and mulberry readily subsumes the stalky herbal notes on the nose. Rising grainy tannins cleave the fruit close; the oak (60% new) is seamlessly integrated. Elegant and well-structured, with lifted violets to the persistent and refined finish. Much more yet to give. Hails from the Novak family’s organically farmed estate, certified since 1992.
One of the wines of the vintage, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate shows what a great terroir and winemaking team can do even in very challenging vintages. Offering full-bodied aromas and flavors of jammy cassis and blackberry fruits as well violets and tobacco, it has wonderful tannins, a seamless texture, and a good spine of acidity. This is a classic, balanced, impeccably put-together Spottswoode that will keep for 25-30 years.
Features a sleek and racy edge, with damson plum, bitter cherry and black currant fruit working together, revealing pinpoints of savory, sage and iron scattered throughout. The mouthwatering finish shows the vintage's slightly brambly grip, but with superior integration and energy to most of its peers. Best from 2022 through 2038.