2008 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District
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Tasting notes
(14.4% alcohol): Medium ruby-red. High-pitched, slightly herbal aromas of briary dark berries, menthol and licorice. At once creamy and juicy, offering good concentration but modest nuance to the dark berry, spice cake and dark chocolate flavors. Ultimately a rather leanish wine for this property, without quite enough mid-palate flesh to fully buffer its dusty, drying tannins. This wine is unlikely to gain further with bottle age even if it will endure.
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Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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Aromas of cherries and chocolate follow through to a full body, with fresh acidity and a ripe fruit finish. Give it two or three years of bottle age.
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain offers earthy, spicy aromas intermixed with a notion of black currants. Medium to full-bodied with more texture and richness than the Merlot, noticeable but sweet tannin and a distinct earthy character that permeates the aromas and flavors, this solidly made Cabernet Sauvignon should drink nicely for 7-10 years. It’s hard to believe that Barnett Vineyards is already 27 years old. Located on a beautiful hillside high on Spring Mountain, they have branched out from their original Cabernet program to include Chardonnays and, more recently, Pinot Noirs, all of which merit attention. Tel. (707) 963-7075; Fax (707) 963-3724