Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016 - Spottswoode Estate

Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016 — Spottswoode Estate

This Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016 from Spottswoode Estate embodies one of the most elegant, profound and classical expressions of St. Helena. From Spottswoode’s historic estate vineyard, it combines the luminous ripeness of Napa Valley with remarkable precision: cassis, blackberry, black cherry, plum, violet, cedar, graphite, tobacco, cocoa, fresh mint, liquorice, fine earth and a long mineral finish.

Spottswoode Estate is one of Napa Valley’s great family estates, renowned for producing Cabernets of great purity, refinement, structure and long ageing potential. The 2016 vintage is particularly harmonious, combining ripeness, freshness, density and balance. It gives here a wine that is both intense and highly controlled, with deep black fruit, polished tannins, fine energy and remarkable definition.

Terroir: St. Helena, a historic vineyard and Napa Valley balance

The Spottswoode Estate vineyard is located in St. Helena, at the heart of Napa Valley. This sector benefits from an ideal climate for Cabernet Sauvignon, with generous ripeness, bright days and the ability to preserve enough freshness to maintain balance. The estate’s well-draining soils and precise viticulture encourage fruit that is concentrated, pure and expressive.

The Spottswoode style is based on an elegant interpretation of Cabernet Sauvignon: fruit depth, classical structure, fine tannins, freshness, floral and mineral notes, and measured integration of oak ageing. In the 2016, this terroir translates into a wine of great aromatic clarity, combining cassis, blackberry, black cherry, cedar, graphite, tobacco, cocoa, fine earth and fresh mint.

Tasting notes

Appearance: deep garnet with dark ruby and purple reflections, dense, bright and still very sustained. The colour reflects the concentration of the 2016 vintage and the relative youth of a Cabernet Sauvignon still capable of long evolution.

Nose: deep, elegant and very precise, with cassis, blackberry, black cherry, plum, black fruits, violet, cedar, graphite, blond tobacco, cocoa and fresh mint. With aeration, nuances of liquorice, sandalwood, coffee, fine earth, dried herbs, fine leather, sweet spices and cassis leaf may appear.

Palate: full, straight, dense and perfectly balanced, with pure black fruit and a serious yet refined tannic structure. Flavours of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, cedar, graphite, tobacco, cocoa and mint unfold with precision, supported by clear freshness. The finish is long, harmonious, mineral and persistent, with polished tannins and a great impression of class.

Expression of the 2016 vintage

The 2016 vintage in Napa Valley is recognised for its remarkable balance between ripeness, concentration, freshness and structure. At Spottswoode, this year highlights the purity of Cabernet Sauvignon, the finesse of the tannins and the floral and mineral dimension of the wine. The result is a deep, racy, energetic and highly harmonious Cabernet, capable of combining Californian richness with classical elegance.

Today, this Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 remains young in its evolution and has excellent ageing potential. It can already impress after careful opening, but will gain further complexity with time: cedar, tobacco, fine leather, graphite, cocoa, forest floor, dried herbs, mint and more tertiary nuances should gradually join the depth of black fruit.