The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is compelling. Where to start? An expressive bouquet redolent of sweet herbs, tobacco and incense leads to a gorgeous tapestry of dark red fruit. The Estate is drop-dead gorgeous, with the silkiest of tannins that frame an extraordinary finish. This has to be one of the most compelling values in California Cabernet. In 2008 the blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Draper describes 2008 as the driest of the three drought years spanning 2006-2008. The 2008 is the first vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon, which used to be called Santa Cruz Mountains. In 2008 a spring harvest frost damaged much of the Merlot crop, so there was no natural outlet for the Merlot that had previously been used in the Santa Cruz Mountains bottling, but in 2009 there will be a new Merlot bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2028.
(from Monte Bello Vineyard): Vivid ruby. Oak-spicy aromas of redcurrant, dried cherry and cola, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Fleshy and smooth in the mouth, offering juicy dark berry flavors and mounting vanilla and mocha notes. Finishes with good smoky persistence and resonating cherry and vanilla notes. Gentle tannins make for accessibility but also suggest that this will repay at least five years of patience. This wine, made from the lots that are more accessible and elegantly structured than those destined for Ridge's flagship Monte Bello bottling, has 20% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc in the blend.
Exhibits the telltale signs of cool-climate Cabernet, with herb, dill, dried berry, loamy earth, tobacco leaf and mineral notes. This medium- to full-bodied red is very complete and well-balanced, gaining depth and nuance on the finish, where it offers hints of cherry and berry. Drink now through 2020. 4,500 cases made. –JL
Opaque garnet color. Layered cassis and blackbeirry, fennel, dark chocolate, limestone/mineral notes, toasty oak. Complex fruit, tannins, and oak are impressively balanced. Drinkable now, and over the next fifteen years. -Winery
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