2009 Rutherford Round Pond Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 92 pts
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Tasting notes
(the MacDonnell brothers own nearly 400 acres of vineyards, but work mainly with two gravel belts to make their Reserve and Rutherford cabernets; Thomas Brown is the consulting winemaker here): Good deep ruby-red. Cherry, redcurrant, mocha, tobacco, menthol and loam on the nose. Chewy and rich, with a slightly medicinal cast but good fat to the mid-palate fruit. Finishes with broad, youthfully aggressive tannins.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Round Pond's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is pure grace and silkiness on the palate. Sweet floral and spice notes meld into expressive red berries as this refined, beautifully proportioned wine shows off its pedigree. The 2009 has a little more textural depth and immediacy than the 2008, but a touch less grip and overall tension.
Round Pond’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is pure grace and silkiness on the palate. Sweet floral and spice notes meld into expressive red berries as this refined, beautifully proportioned wine shows off its pedigree. The 2009 has a little more textural depth and immediacy than the 2008, but a touch less grip and overall tension. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Round Pond is a fairly young estate. The MacDonnell family has been selling fruit from their vineyards in Rutherford to other wineries for years, but only began making their own wines with the 2002 vintage. All of the wines I tasted were beautiful and promising, except for the 2009 Bovet, which was corked. I hope to be able to taste that wine again soon. Thomas Rivers Brown is the consulting oenologist to Round Pond’s internal winemaking team. The Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is particularly of note considering its very reasonable price and a production of several thousand cases per year. Tel. (888) 302-2575; roundpond@roundpond.com