2010 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Healthy dark red. Musky, soil-driven nose combines plum, currant, black cherry, cedar, coffee, menthol and herbs, lifted by violet and spice high notes. Silky, plush and fine-grained but not heavy; in fact, downright juicy and delineated. Still, this 2010 is a very rich, large-scaled version of Forman Cabernet, with full, even ripeness and outstanding slow-building length. The tannins are firm and serious but in perfect harmony with the wine's fruit, eventually saturating the palate and front teeth. Leaves a piquant suggestion of white fruit on the palate (peach?). I should note that this is a new tasting note but when I did a vertical tasting with Ric Forman at his winery a few years ago, he described the fruit in 2010 as "massively ripe, without a single raisin." He purposely left more of the canopy intact, which protected the fruit and allowed for longer hang time.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(14.9% alcohol; features an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Franc): Saturated medium ruby. Aromas and flavors of black plum, black raspberry, cassis, coffee and licorice, plus a sexy suggestion of white peach and a complicating herbal nuance. Fine-grained, classy and seamless, with compelling sweetness perfectly buffered by bright acidity. Wonderfully spicy, sharply delineated Cabernet with outstanding inner-mouth energy. Best today on the ripely tannic, extremely long finish, which builds subtly and inexorably and leaves the mouth refreshed. Ric Forman told me that the fruit in 2010 was "massively ripe, without a single raisin." Another beauty from this outstanding vintage, and built for a long life in bottle.
Forman’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon has become much more refined over the last few years. Initially a virtually impenetrable brute, the 2010 now shows gorgeous layers of aromatic nuance that have taken some time to develop. Crushed rose petals, mint, herbs and red stone fruits open up effortlessly in the glass. There is no shortage of depth or tannin, but the 2010 appears to now be headed in the direction of finesse, whereas when it was young it was a real powerhouse. This is a stellar showing from Ric Forman.
(14.8% alcohol; includes 15% cabernet franc, 8% petit verdot and 3% merlot): Bright, saturated ruby-red; much deeper than the 2011. Back raspberry, minerals, leather and a whiff of tar on the nose, all lifted by a suggestion of blood orange. Lush and sweet but wonderfully vibrant too, with superb ripeness and considerable power to the dark raspberry, licorice and leather flavors. Offers an uncanny combination of extract, verve and clarity of flavor. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and superb breadth, length and grip. Forman notes that cassis and violet elements will come out later. A great vintage for this wine and quite likely to merit an even higher score down the road.