Tasting Notes

Release Date: Spring 2000

1997 was a great year to be a winemaker. Uniform high ripeness and perfect growing conditions made all of us in the business think we really had a handle on this. Springtime weather was summer-like, giving our vines the most bountiful crop since 1991. The warm, balmy conditions kept on through harvest, allowing the grapes to ripen fully and evenly, a key to successful wines.

This '97 Cabernet is the flashiest vintage ever made at this property. Forward aromas of honeysuckle and raspberry jam are followed on the palate with dense, explosive blackberry-red currant. Stylistically hedonistic from start to finish yet with an abundance of acid, alcohol, and tannins to keep it enticing for many years in the bottle.

Yield: 2.2 tons per acre Vine Age: 17 years Aging: 25 months in small French barrels Maturity:  2 to 25 years

Production

1,921

Tech Notes

Sorry, technical notes not available for this vintage.

Reviews

89-90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - May/June 1999

Bright red-ruby color. Bright, fruity berry nose. Juicy and fairly intense; shows moderate baby fat and concentration today but this is stylish and nicely delineated. The tannins are firm but quite suave. Will make a lovely bottle.

88 points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate - June 2000

Issue # 129

The dark ruby/purple-colored 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is dense and closed, with abundant black currant fruit, a strong sense of minerality, firm tannin, and earthy notes in the background. Medium-bodied and slightly austere, but well-made, it will drink well between 2003-2014.