2006 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown
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Tasting notes
Full ruby-red. Dark fruits currently overshadowed by bitter chocolate and brown spices. The dark raspberry and mocha flavors show a slightly gritty extractive quality and are carrying a heavy load of oak. Not a particularly fruity style but has decent life in the mouth. Tannins are fairly substantial.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Both the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa are also narrowly constructed. The latter wine, which I assume is made from purchased fruit, exhibits more ripe fruit, but again, lots of oak. I have higher hopes for Duckhorn's 2007s than the bevy of 2006s I tasted. While they are good, most had issues with hard, aggressive tannins as well as high acid levels that give the wines clipped personalities. In short, if a wine tastes too tannic, it is too tannic, and that may be the problem with Duckhorn's 2006s. Readers should note that any wine that received a score with a question mark will undoubtedly dry out and become hollow before it ever blossoms. Tel. (888) 354-8885; Fax (707) 963-7595