2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

“The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals the vintage’s burly, masculine, and muscular side. The wine is stacked and packed with fruit, extract, tannin, and muscle, but possesses much less suppleness and complexity than the 2005 or the sweetness of the 2007. The 2006, with chocolate, scorched earth, blackberry, and espresso roast notes, is shut down and dense at present, but is impressive, although in a backward style. This wine needs to be forgotten for at least 5-6 years. It is a powerful wine, but don’t touch it before 2013, and drink it over the following three decades.” -Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Dec. 2008) 93+ points

 

Tasting Notes

The 2006 Cabernet boasts a luscious nose of blueberry pie and tropical fruit aromas. Full-bodied, opulent and chewy, flavors of blackberries, graphite and red rose petals convey the concentrated and exotic depth of this wine. The firm yet silky tannins are well-balanced with acidity, providing plenty of structure to support the generous fruit for 30+ years of cellaring.

Ratings

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (Apr. 2017) – 91+ points
“Bright, full ruby. Very youthful, stubbornly unyielding scents of dark fruits, violet, tamarind and mocha. Then round, fine-grained and thick on the palate but with its dark fruit flavors a bit muted behind a scrum of wild meatiness. This very dry and uncompromising wine is best today on the ripely tannic, slowly mounting finish, which leaves behind a sweet impression and a note of wildflowers. Still needs time to absorb more of its tannins.”

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (May 2009) – 92+ points
“Good ruby-red. Soil-inflected aromas of mocha, warm stones, tobacco, underbrush and dried berries, with a very ripe, almost liqueur-like aspect. Then big, chewy and deep, with a compelling sweetness to its smoke, tobacco and espresso flavors. Just juicy enough to maintain verve. Less lush and harmonious at this stage than the 2005 was, as its powerful tannic spine calls for several years of patience, but there’s something sexy and exotic about this wine.”

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Dec. 2008) – 93+ points
“The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals the vintage’s burly, masculine, and muscular side. The wine is stacked and packed with fruit, extract, tannin, and muscle, but possesses much less suppleness and complexity than the 2005 or the sweetness of the 2007. The 2006, with chocolate, scorched earth, blackberry, and espresso roast notes, is shut down and dense at present, but is impressive, although in a backward style. This wine needs to be forgotten for at least 5-6 years. It is a powerful wine, but don’t touch it before 2013, and drink it over the following three decades.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 17th estate-produced Cabernet, the 2006, was made from grapes that came from vines planted in several different locations of the south-facing hillside vineyard. The rich fruit benefited from a hot summer with several heat spikes and an extended growing season with a long harvest that began in mid-August and concluded in mid-October.

Production Notes

Winemaking style followed classic Bordeaux methods. In the winery, the grapes were sorted, de-stemmed and gently lifted into small tanks for fermentation. The resulting wine was aged in 50% new French oak before being bottled in May 2008.

100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA