2008 Special Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
(14.8% alcohol): Full ruby. More reticent and mineral-driven than the Perseid, offering subtle scents of dark berries and licorice plus a musky note of bitter chocolate. Then broad, sweet, pliant and very rich on the palate, giving virtually no indication of the irregular growing season. But then this was a superb vintage for Coombsville, according to my notes. The wine's intense, very pure dark berry and mineral flavors communicate an impression of sappy energy and depth. Finishes with serious but utterly suave, building tannins and outstanding fruit persistence and rising length. This wine could still use a couple more years of bottle aging.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Bright red-ruby. Reticent but very pure nose hints at flowers, licorice and dark chocolate. Dense and sweet on the palate, but with an almost painful impression of energy leavening the lush middle palate. Dark berries are currently dominated by powerful rocky minerality. This saturates the entire mouth and spreads out impressively on the very long, ripely tannic finish. A superb example of this vineyard--and of the vibrancy of Coombsville cabernet.