2009 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

The deep garnet colored 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon contains 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It slips sensuously out of the glass with the most beautiful notions of warm cassis, redcurrant jelly, chocolate-covered cherries and cigar box plus wafts of incense, cinnamon stick, cardamom, dried lavender and star anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness lifting all those vibrant fruit and earthy nuances to a very long, mineral-laced finish.

Bright, full ruby. Pristine, high-pitched aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, licorice and violet Wonderfully fruity and energetic, with its dark fruit and floral flavors still displaying a tightly coiled spine. This thick but juicy midweight delivers a very pure expression of its vineyard even if it's still quite primary today. Finishes very long and firmly tannic, with no rough edges. Even less evolved than the 2007 was two years ago, this is an exceptional Spottswoode vintage with a long life ahead of it.

Bright red-ruby. Very closed, primary nose hints at blackberry, menthol and leather. At once dense and juicy, with surprisingly strong acidity currently keeping the cassis and bitter cherry flavors under wraps. There's a lurking creaminess in the middle palate but today this wine is dominated by its elevated acidity and firm tannic spine, which clamps down on the spicy finish. Incidentally, Beth Novak Milliken expressed the opinion that the 2006 through 2009 vintages are going through an awkward pre-teen stage. "Our wines are great for about four years after release, and then go through some all-elbows years," she said.