Smith Madrone
Estate Bottled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California, USA
Time to get my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a nice one from Napa Valley.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
On the nose blueberries, black currants, black plums, sweet cherries, light vanilla, wood, licorice, spices, tar, earth, vegetables, eucalyptus, pencil lead, tobacco, dark coffee and black pepper.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity, and smooth with long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black cherries, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, green olives, graphite, earth, leather, tobacco, bell pepper, vegetables, bitter herbs, peppercorn and dark coffee.
Spicy finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a very enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain District. Not the typical Napa Cabernet. Drinks more like a Left Bank Bordeaux.
Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food.
This 5 year old is still young and needs another five years in the bottle to mature.
Needs time to open up properly. I gave it 3 hours. Tannins show up after two and a half hours and bring out structure, so please be patient.
At this point, the Cabernet Franc in the blend, is really showing dominance. Showing lots of earth notes at this point, which makes it very interesting. I would imagine that it will diminish with time.
Showing great potential to be much better in the next 5 to 10 years.
I paired it with cheeses and crackers. Went very nicely with the brie cheese.
A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (65% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.
14.3% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$52.
Time to get my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a nice one from Napa Valley.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
On the nose blueberries, black currants, black plums, sweet cherries, light vanilla, wood, licorice, spices, tar, earth, vegetables, eucalyptus, pencil lead, tobacco, dark coffee and black pepper.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity, and smooth with long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black cherries, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, green olives, graphite, earth, leather, tobacco, bell pepper, vegetables, bitter herbs, peppercorn and dark coffee.
Spicy finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a very enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain District. Not the typical Napa Cabernet. Drinks more like a Left Bank Bordeaux.
Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food.
This 5 year old is still young and needs another five years in the bottle to mature.
Needs time to open up properly. I gave it 3 hours. Tannins show up after two and a half hours and bring out structure, so please be patient.
At this point, the Cabernet Franc in the blend, is really showing dominance. Showing lots of earth notes at this point, which makes it very interesting. I would imagine that it will diminish with time.
Showing great potential to be much better in the next 5 to 10 years.
I paired it with cheeses and crackers. Went very nicely with the brie cheese.
A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (65% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.
14.3% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$52.
Earthy smooth, light mineral, cocoa notes
Earthy smooth, light mineral, cocoa notes
May 25th, 2022
Opens up super nicely, immediately pleasant on the nose. Plummy and buttery, classic example of a good Napa cab.
Opens up super nicely, immediately pleasant on the nose. Plummy and buttery, classic example of a good Napa cab.
Apr 12th, 2022Solid product, fresh raspberries, cherry and chocolate. Not a jammy mess, good structure
Solid product, fresh raspberries, cherry and chocolate. Not a jammy mess, good structure
Dec 27th, 2020
Structured stuff. Lots of plum and cassis and boysenberry. Smell a little like green bell pepper and some cigars (cliche I know). Tannin smooths out with some open time. Also smells a bit hot.
Structured stuff. Lots of plum and cassis and boysenberry. Smell a little like green bell pepper and some cigars (cliche I know). Tannin smooths out with some open time. Also smells a bit hot.
Oct 25th, 2020