Cabernet Sauvignon, Spottswoode, Napa, CA, 2021

Professional Ratings

• 100 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  I began my Spottswoode journey with the winery's maiden release, the 1982 vintage; I never stopped, and 40 years later, I still get goosebumps when popping this wine's cork. I tasted the 2021 with Alice's family at our Christmas Dinner. Not only was I amazed (as I often had been with each new release, but one of Alice's sisters, Nancy, who is not a regular wine drinker, loved the wine and commented that it was smooth and "delicious." This vintage excites with aromas and flavors of compelling blackberries, exotic spices, hints of licorice, and focused cassis. We savored this wine with our succulent Prime Rib Roast. (Tasted: December 25, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
• 99 James Suckling
  Pure black currants on the nose with an incredible al dente grape character. It’s almost like grape must. Undertone of ink and violets and sandalwood. Perfumed. Hints of spearmint. Full-bodied, but so well-formed and reserved. A touch of mint on the palate with dark fruits. It is very complete and reminds me of the classy Spottswoode 2001. I keep being impressed with the purity of fruit with the earthy undertones and stones. Savory. A fitting 40th anniversary wine. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc, and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2027.
• 99 Tasting Panel

  Celebrating a milestone of 40 vintages, this winery has been guided by CEO Beth Novak since 1987. Its historic 42-acre estate vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985 and is now certified biodynamic and regenerative organic; Spottswoode is also a member of B Corp and the International Wineries for Climate Action's Gold level. With a small addition of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this Cab aged 20 months in barrel offers a velvet-lined entry of blue fruit that promptly seduces the palate. Soothing notes of dark chocolate-violet ganache and quince contribute further impact, strengthened by an elegant backbone

• 98 Jeb Dunnuck
  Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep, dense purple color as well as a primordial nose of ripe black fruits, cassis, camphor, scorched earth, violet, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Reminding me of a young Leoville Las Cases with its closed, dense, structured style, it's concentrated, has a pure, layered, focused style, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It needs 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The blend of the 2021 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot.
  Rating: 98+
• 98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Slated for a September 2024 release, Spottswoode's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes across as more vibrant, floral and fresh than the 2020. Violet and cassis notes are accented by hints of crushed stone and pencil shavings on the nose. Hugely complex yet harmonious, this medium-bodied effort is firm but silky in feel, with a long, elegant finish. Lovely stuff.
  Rating: 98+
• 97 Vinous
  The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic wine off this estate. Bright and floral, with silky tannins, the 2021 is exceptionally finessed and so elegant. I can't remember another vintage like it. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2021 spent 20 months in barrel, 60-65% new, mostly French, with a touch of Hungarian wood.
• 97 Wine Spectator

  This offers a gorgeous display of pure, unadulterated mulberry, boysenberry and plum fruit puree flavors that glisten as they move along, throwing off light accents of anise, violet and hibiscus along the way. Inlaid with an underlying fine-grained structure in the form of sleek threads of iron and alder, this shows tensile strength while extending through the long, refined finish.