2011 Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Estate Rockfall

The brilliant 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall, from a high elevation vineyard planted at 1,820 to 2,400 feet, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in 55% new French oak. There is not a hint of herbaceousness in this opaque purple-colored Cabernet. It exhibits notes of acacia flowers, blackberries, blueberries and a chalky, powdery minerality. Full-bodied with monster tannins, this massive Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be forgotten for 5-7 years and drunk over the following two plus decades. In that sense, it is atypical for a 2011. Stonestreet’s wines continue to go from strength to strength under the direction of South African winemaker Graham Weerts. The Chardonnays are spectacular, and the estate has added cuvees of Sauvignon and Semillon as well as a Riesling that are also noteworthy. The red wines are meant for those with cold storage facilities since they tend to be huge, tannic behemoths that need time in the bottle, even in a precocious, difficult vintage such as 2011. All five Chardonnays are brilliant, 100% Chardonnays fermented with indigenous yeasts in the barrel and aged ten months in anywhere from 45% to 100% new French oak. The results are stunning. The wines are all more similar than dissimilar, but I will try to articulate their minor differences. Tel. (800) 355-8008