Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 750ml

In spite of the weather extremes, the 2017 Spottswoode Cabernet is an honest expression of the estate, attributed to the resilience of the Estate Vineyard. This resilience is a function of long-term responsible stewardship of the land, which is farmed with the greatest sensitivity, intentionally building health into the entire system.

The 2017 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has shut down slightly since I tasted it last year, yet it’s still a magical, perfect wine. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot, it offers incredible notes of pure crème de cassis, blueberries, camphor, crushed rocks, and lead pencil shavings. This rich, full-bodied beauty always reminds me of a great vintage of Château Margaux with its beautiful complexity, power, and elegance.

Raw, dynamic, and so expressive! This wine is glowing with personality, vivacity, and youthful exuberance. The palate has a rustic charm and sense of umami carefully balanced with notes of blueberry, blackberry, and resinous pine forest.

Beautifully expressive now, the 2016 Estate Cabernet is a wine that will only improve with time in the cellar to integrate and mature into its full epic potential.

Made of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple in color and prances out of the glass with vivacious blackberries, crushed black cherries, warm black currants, and red currant jelly scents plus exotic hints of cassia, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise with a waft of underbrush. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastic energy and beautiful poise, with bags of bright, crunchy black and red fruit plus a firm, fine-grained texture, finishing long and spicy.