The Baron Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

This showed nice promise but, was somewhat closed down. It was opened right at tasting. So, it also hadn’t had much time to breathe. I would range this at 92-94 with 7-10 years of bottle age.

The mouthfeel was big, round, lush, touch velvety with rounded, yet drier tannins. Blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plum skin, softly layered baking spices; cinnamon, some nutmeg & clove, vanilla, used expresso grounds, sweet tarriness, dark moist soils, good wood use (not over done), soft leather, fresh & dry tobacco, touch of graphite, light licorice blend, easy; dry crushed rocks, alluvial volcanic & limestone/sandstone. Dry stems with a full array of nice fresh, dark, red, blue & purple florals framed in light lavender & beautiful violets. The round acidity very good & rounded. The structure, length, tension & balanced are good but need several years to integrate to flourish. The finish is; lush, elegant, balanced, well rounded persisting minutes and long setting into dry, dusty tannins.

I am told by the folks who show the “Baron” for Montagu that this is made with Beckstoffer fruit. If they label it as such, the price per fruit ton is more.

On the nose; Ripe dark currants. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, saline, pepper, vanilla, black rich earth, tarry notes and dried dark florals. On the palate, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, blueberries. pepper, rich black soils, spice, leathery, dry crushed rocks, nice volcanic minerality, underbrush, violets, dark fresh flowers, nice round acidity and a long, rich, full bodied, elegant fruit finish with a hint of heated spices. Nice wine.

@Shay Aldriedge sent me this about a year or so ago and I opened on Christmas Eve. Decanted 4 hours at room temp and chilled at cellar temp for 20 minutes. This was killer! Crushed rock, lots of graphite, cassis all combine to create an incredibly supple, lush young wine. Thank you @Shay Aldriedge for opening my eyes to this great value producer.

Met with Silver Ghost and Montagu Wines owner and winemaker Weston Eidson to taste through the new vintages. I’ve stated before, but Weston is a close friend and someone who I help with tastings/marketing from time to time. Because of the above, I’ll refrain from giving the wines a rating, and hope my reviews fill in the blank for you.

Another new vintage for The Baron, another homerun. I was shocked at how aromatic this was out of the gate! As always, this is all Beckstoffer GIII. A very beautiful balance of red, blue and black fruits, accompanied by vanilla tobacco and baking spices on the nose. More of the same on the palate with a touch more red fruit profile as well as a slightly herbal, and classically dusty, finish.

Enjoyed revisiting the 14. Delish!

In a really nice spot right now. Paired beautifully with sous vide chateaubriand.

This is always very good!!

Sending my youngest off tonight for a semester abroad! After a 60 minute decant this was humming. Gripping tannins released and allowed all the cassis, blackberry, mocha and tobacco notes to shine through. Somebody’s off to Florence and I’m off to shovel the driveway! 😂

Glad I have two more of these, because this one is SINGING tonight. I am almost 100% certain that I had the chance to taste this one not too long ago and thought it was kind of in a strange place. This one is clearly in the start of the drink window tonight! Blackberry, black licorice, hint of sweeter cocoa on the middle. Dusty tannin on the finish with Rutherford dust. 45 to 60 second finish. Really nice. This one is a baby as well with all the youthful and punchy fruit. I see some more integration out of this one. Drink over the next 7 years, maybe 10. Beautiful wine @Weston Eidson

Lithe and elegant in the glass. A lovely cuvée.