2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve
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Tasting notes
Full, bright ruby. Pungent scents of blackberry, cassis, licorice and bitter chocolate are complemented by a note of crystallized berries. Juicy, savory and intense, conveying a strong impression of spine without any obvious dryness. The wine's dark berry and licorice flavors show a sexy subtle sweetness, along with salty minerality and an element of peppery lift. This classically dry, sharply delineated, penetrating wine finishes with firm but refined tannins and lovely rising violet perfume. Youthful and gripping, it displays the energy of the vintage's better examples and should go on in a cool cellar for another two decades. (ST)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(14.5% alcohol; 37% St. Helena, 23% Lampyridae, 14% Vogt, 11% Chabot, 9% Rancho del Oso, 4% Marston and 2% Petit Verdot): Bright, saturated ruby-purple color. High-toned aromas of crushed boysenberry, blackbery liqueur, licorice pastille and violet. Densely packed, big and rich but not heavy, with penetrating acidity buffering the sweetness of the dark berry fruit. This rather powerful midweight finishes with lush, sweet tannins and excellent length. Quite structured, firm and fresh for a 2009 Cabernet. When I mentioned to Laurie Hook that this wine struck me as a bit high in volatile acidity, she responded that virtually all of these wines are between 0.65 and 0.75 ppm.
(includes 2.5% petit verdot): Good full ruby. Pure but tight nose shows a medicinal reserve. Then tight and penetrating in the mouth, with noteworthy intensity to the blackberry and menthol flavors. Much less open and showy today than the Bancroft cabernet, revealing little in the way of easy sweetness. This seriously structured wine finishes with substantial firm tannins, excellent breadth and a suggestion of chocolatey richness, and should be long-lived. "A blend of the best of the best," according to winemaker Laurie Hook, who added that she's looking for "intensity, complexity, depth, persistence, elegance."