1988 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
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Tasting notes
In a challenging Napa vintage, the 1988, which is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc, was formed by the huge heat spikes before and during the harvest. Dark plummy/ruby colored, the aromatics seemed much less classic than other Spottswoodes, with more herbaceousness along with redder fruits. The palate showed higher acids, relatively austere tannins and I sensed the wine was in a state where it was just beginning to dessicate, becoming more angular and charmless. This certainly was one of the only disappointments of a pretty spectacular vertical tasting. Drink it up.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Medium slightly brownish red. An aroma of baked pot roast suggests some maderization. Then quite sweet and ripe in the mouth, spreading out to saturate the palate and lingering on the finish. No shortage of acidity here, and a touch green on the finish, showing slightly drying tannins. A second bottle showed a sweet entry followed by a tart middle and a finish clipped by unabsorbed acidity. Not much in the way of fruit remaining.
The 1988 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon came across as quite pretty and delicate, with soft fruit and good balance.
Very dark blackish crimson. Still quite youthful, or at least relatively inexpressive on the nose. Lovely gentle texture on the palate with real lift. Very elegant texture although it hints that it has still to reach its full aromatic potential. Quite long and dusty on the finish. The millikens have always perceived it as being difficult but it has apparently been increasingly impressive in recent years. (LM)
About the producer
Spottswoode is one of those rare Napa estates whose reputation rests less on volume or spectacle than on persistent exactitude. Set on the western edge of St Helena, where the Mayacamas rise and afternoon breezes temper the valley’s warmth, the vineyard occupies a favoured pocket of the appellation.