2007 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
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Tasting notes
Medium straw-yellow. Complex aromas of lemon, minerals and honey. Broad, suave and dry, with concentrated yet delicate flavors of lemon, spices and fresh herbs complemented by late hints of citrus peel and pineapple. This really coats the mouth with flavor and perfume. Aged in 20% new oak, compared to a more normal 10%. As good a vintage for this consistently excellent sauvignon as I can recall.
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Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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Spottswoode produces one of the finest Sauvignon Blancs in Northern California. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (nearly 100% Sauvignon from two clones, the classic clone and the more fragrant Musque clone, and a small dollop of Semillon) is so popular that it is now a cross county blend, with about 60% of the fruit from Napa and the rest from Sonoma. This melon, fig, and honeyed grapefruit-scented and flavored white sees some oak aging. Crisp, elegant, medium-bodied, intense yet classic flavors emerge from this food-friendly wine. Enjoy it during its first 1-2 years of life. Spottswoode Vineyard is one of Napa’s most well-known landmarks, and its winemaking team, owner Beth Novack, and assistants Rosemary Cakebread and Jennifer Williams, represents a trifecta of talented young women. When the history of Napa’s great vineyards is written, the 40-acre Spottswoode Vineyard, tucked behind the quaint town of St. Helena, will be counted among the finest grand cru vineyards of the region. These wines have always been good, but over the last decade, the quality has soared, no doubt because of a much more strict selection in the vineyard as well as in the winery. A very fine second wine, Lyndenhurst, has also been introduced, which has increased the quality of the flagship offering, the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Like Bordeaux’s top chateaux, Spottswoode has gotten serious about turning out a very fine second wine that is softer and more accessible, yet represents their vineyard character. Tel. (707) 963-0134; Fax (707) 963-2886
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.