Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena 2015

A more exuberant, sexy wine than the 2014, yet still in the house style emphasizing elegance and purity, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate knocks it out of the park with its huge nose of crème de cassis, plums, Asian spices, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and graphite. This flows to a full-bodied, opulent, incredibly concentrated wine reminiscent of the 2013 on steroids. Full-bodied, with building tannin, integrated acidity, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish, this is a tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the greats. It has three to four decades of life ahead of it.

This bottle of Spottswoode's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon showed better than the last one I reviewed, with more voluptuous fruit and an expressive, generous personality. Perhaps being double-decanted 20 minutes ahead of service helped. Prominent cedar notes join prune plums, black cherries and a hint of dark chocolate. Full-bodied, this rich, dense and weighty wine closes with a velvety mouthfeel, great length and a seductive touch of licorice.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is a potent, dense wine. Huge tannins wrap around a core of dark red/purplish fruit, mocha, new leather, incense and cloves. The 2015 has aged well, but the tannins are overpowering. In its youth, the 2015 was packed with exotic, luscious fruit. Today, that fruit is a touch reticent. Crème de cassis, licorice, lavender and espresso build into the finish.