2009 Materium Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Materium from the Weitz Vineyard reveals lots of minerality along with sweet red and black currants, licorice, graphite and spring flowers. Deep and full-bodied, it is displaying a lot of tannin in addition to a reserved, backward, brooding style. Everything is there for super enjoyment and high quality, but patience is required. There are now two Mayback cuvees. The Materium comes from a single block called the Weitz Vineyard at a 1,000 foot elevation on the eastern side of Oakville. The Amoenus comes from a Calistoga vineyard on Tubbs Lane (where Chateau Montelena is located). These wines continue to prove the exceptional efforts and quality the proprietors have achieved since I first started tasting these wines nearly a decade ago. That commitment to excellence is reflected in the fact that Maybach completely declassified both the 2011 Amoenus and Materium cuvees. www.maybachwine.com
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Red-ruby. Highly aromatic nose combines red berries, game, menthol, tobacco, flowers and a whiff of juniper berry. Concentrated and fine-grained, with enticing floral lift to the red berry, tobacco and mint flavors. Finishes dense and impressively long, with lovely floral perfume. Very distinctive. I like the combination of definition, elegance and power here. Winemaker Thomas Brown noted that this wine, from a vineyard 1,000 feet above the valley floor in the eastern hills of Oakville, never has a pH higher than 3.5.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Materium is a gorgeous, polished wine graced with exquisite detail, clarity and focus. Tobacco, cedar and sweet spices add complexity to the fruit in this powerful, expressive 2009. Layers of dark red fruit, mocha and mint wrap around the striking, seamless finish.
Full ruby-red. Reticent, subtle nose hints at cassis, tar, licorice pastille and smoke; conveys a darker quality than the 2008. Dense, backward and deep, with black fruit and licorice flavors showing an almost grapey primary character today. Focused, structured and tannic wine, extremely unevolved today. Seems less sweet than the 2008. Hard to taste now but this is likely to be long-lived. Winemaker Thomas Brown told me that the wine has been racked just twice to this point and will be bottled in June.
About the producer
Founded in 2004 by Chris Maybach, Maybach Family Vineyards honors a family legacy of quality and artistry dating back over a century to the creation of the Maybach automobile. Determined to bring that same excellence to winemaking, Chris partnered with acclaimed Napa winemaker Thomas Brown.