2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

“Seavey’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate explodes from the glass with deep, resonant fruit. Incense, smoke, tobacco and melted road tar flow effortlessly from this big, full-bodied wine. There is no shortage of fruit or tannin in this large-scaled, firm Cabernet Sauvignon. Readers will need to be patient, but there is little denying the 2009 is a jewel of a wine. The 2009 is shaping up to be another magnificent wine from Seavey and oenologist Philippe Melka.”  -Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Dec. 2012) 96 points

Tasting Notes

The aromatics of this wine are rich with blueberry, dark cherry, fresh violets, toasted oak and spice. On the palate, the wine is layered with intense ripe blueberry, black currant, cocoa, baking spices, graphite and cigar box, and its firm and supportive tannins signal the wine’s significant cellaring potential.

Ratings

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (April 2017) 91+ points
“Complex aromas of kirsch, plum, mocha and brown spices. Plush, ripe and deep if not yet particularly expressive, with its plum and mocha flavors complicated by an intriguing cooler element of dusty herbs. Finishes broad and dry, with substantial ripe tannins. This is nowhere near its peak. Winemaker Jim Duane described 2009 as “the first of a triad of cool years.”

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Dec. 2012) 96 points
“Seavey’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate explodes from the glass with deep, resonant fruit. Incense, smoke, tobacco and melted road tar flow effortlessly from this big, full-bodied wine. There is no shortage of fruit or tannin in this large-scaled, firm Cabernet Sauvignon. Readers will need to be patient, but there is little denying the 2009 is a jewel of a wine. The 2009 is shaping up to be another magnificent wine from Seavey and oenologist Philippe Melka.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 20th estate-produced Cabernet, the 2009, was made from grapes that came from vines planted in several different locations of the south-facing hillside vineyard. The growing season was warm, without significant heat spikes or cold spells, and the moderate weather continued well into fall. This provided our fruit an unrushed opportunity to mature a broad and deep flavor profile with powerful aromatics, supportive structure and graphite minerality consistent with our vineyard’s soils.

Production Notes

Winemaking style followed classic Bordeaux methods, beginning with whole-berry fermentation, cold soak and native yeast to start fermentation. The wine was aged in French oak barrels (50% new oak) for 18 months before bottling in June 2011.

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