2009 Futo Proprietary Red Wine
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Bright full ruby. Wild, slightly porty aromas of cassis, black cherry, singed plum, dark chocolate, licorice and minerals. Plush, broad and sweet, conveying an almost exotic chocolatey ripeness to its cassis, black cherry and menthol flavors. A large-scaled wine with baby fat to lose. Finishes with major tongue-coating tannins but little in the way of restraint. I liked this wine a lot at the outset but today one glass would be enough. I believe the same raw materials vinified at Futo today would produce a wine with more definition and energy. (14.9% alcohol)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
An explosive, captivating wine, the 2009 Futo bursts from the glass with an exotic mélange of incense, tobacco, wild flowers, licorice and plums. Full-bodied and racy, the 2009 covers every inch of the palate with stunning depth and purity. The tannins are firm and quite present, but there is so much fruit they are nearly buried. Readers will be tempted to drink the 2009 young, but my impression is that patience will be highly rewarded. This is yet another striking, totally compelling wine.
An explosive, captivating wine, the 2009 Futo bursts from the glass with an exotic melange of incense, tobacco, wild flowers, licorice and plums. Full-bodied and racy, the 2009 covers every inch of the palate with stunning depth and purity. The tannins are firm and quite present, but there is so much fruit they are nearly buried. Readers will be tempted to drink the 2009 young, but my impression is that patience will be highly rewarded. This is yet another striking, totally compelling wine. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. I was blown away by the wines I tasted with Tom Futo and his team, headed by winemaker Jason Exposto. Readers should make an effort to taste Futo’s second wine, OV, a nod to Oakford Vineyards, the previous winery on these grounds. Futo’s OV is easily one of the best second wines in the valley. In just about any other winery it would be the top wine. And a great one, at that. As for the flagship FutoYwell, it is pretty amazing in all three vintages I tasted. Futo fans will be happy to learn that the winery is working with a 25 year-old parcel in Stags’ Leap that will inform a new bottling if the quality of fruit is up to the estate’s fanatical standards. Tel. (707) 944-9333