Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley by Spottswoode 2017

"Made of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple in color and prances out of the glass with vivacious blackberries, crushed black cherries, warm black currants and red currant jelly scents plus exotic hints of cassia, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise with a waft of underbrush. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastic energy and beautiful poise, with bags of bright, crunchy black and red fruit plus a firm, fine-grained texture, finishing long and spicy."

97+ points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate , October 31, 2019

"The Spottswoode estate vineyard in St. Helena is one of the Napa Valley’s greatest treasures.  Early on Spottswoode sold its grapes to a number of high-profile wineries, but turned to production of Cabernet under its own label at the encouragement of the likes of Dan Duckhorn and legendary winemaker Tony Soter.  If Napa had a classification system similar to the 1855 model in Bordeaux, Spottswoode would be a First Growth by any reasonable measure.  The 2017 vintage is a classic Spottswoode, impressively structured, beautifully balanced and showing its signature aromas of cassis, blackberry, blueberry and spice.  Pricey, but if you’re ever going to splurge, this is the wine."

98 points - Robert Whitley, WineReviewOnline, Dec 2020