wine library notes
vintages 1995–2008
Vertical Tasting Held on November 16, 2011
We eagerly anticipate our vertical tasting each fall and are excited to share our notes here. We were honored to have long-time wine enthusiasts, Keith Williams and John Cooper from Houston and Brett Anderson of the Robb Report join us this year. We blind tasted vintages in two separate flights, beginning with 1995, and we were thrilled with the wines. Positive attributes abounded—all of the older wines seem to have life ahead, and the young wines suggest a long, gratifying trajectory, which impressed us. As ever, we relish the opportunity to taste through these wines, as this intellectual exercise allows us to deepen our knowledge of our Estate Vineyard and to share our impressions to help you in determining the optimal time to enjoy our Cabernets. Join us in our exploration!
As to the suggestions to drink, hold, or some combination thereof, please remember that if you do choose to drink a younger vintage, we recommend a rough (double) decanting prior to tasting, giving the wine an hour or so to open up in a decanter before serving. All young wines benefit from this experience, and though we might say “hold” in our notes, trying vintages in their youth allows you to track their evolution and development over time, which is among the great joys of wine!
Christie Dufault, Wine Director at Quince in San Francisco, decants the Estate Cabernet in the Spottswoode winery.
