A Spottswoode Vertical Tasting with Beth Milliken

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JonoB
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A Spottswoode Vertical Tasting with Beth Milliken

Post by JonoB »

Its good to be back and posting properly again!!!!

Last night, I had the wonderful pleasure of having dinner with Beth Novak Milliken of Spottswoode (as I will be running the Cambridge Uni Wine Soc next year) and then a tasting of her wines (because I had bought a ticket to the Societies tasting that night). I have to say that I had a fantastic time with a really down to earth and funny person. The wines are nothing short of spectacular in many ways.

In the order tasted

2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Aged partly in steel, old and new oak and concrete before assemblage, this showed a lovely round and creamy nose, hints of grass, herbs and cooked lemons, married to hints of spice, nutmeg and hemp. A beautiful creamy smoothness pervades the finish. 66-69+

1988 Cabernet Sauvignon
soy and balsamic, with some earth and tobacco with plenty of fruit and zip still in attendance, red plum and cassis with hints of spice, cinnamon and turmeric. Elegant and complex and still very fresh. Bold yet restrained with hints of wood, leaves and forest floor. Really lovely. 78

1995 Cabernet Sauvignon
Jack fruit? Clean and wonderfully fresh with great structure, cassis, dark plum, spicy but elegant, with cherry and wild strawberry. Herbs, nutmeg and with a brooding character that shows it still has a long way ahead of it. Again, elegance and poised. Well balanced and with an intriguing quality. 74-77+

2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
Warm and inviting on the nose, with hints of dried papaya and cassis, bramble and forest fruits. Blackberry, hints of sweetness, saddle leather, olive. Earth and herbs, wet leaves. Lovely lenght, wood spice, dried violets and a hint of brett (which Beth admitted to but it wasn't overbearing and added an endearing quality). Lovely balance and freshness with rounder tannins. St. Julien-esque 72-76+

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Mint, herbs and cassis, deep and fresh with concentrated complexity. Red fruits and elegance, classic and dark, needing time to unfurl and release the underlying complexity. Inky, bold, lots of spice, cloves, star anise. Balanced with good freshness. A classic Napa Cab but with an elegance; lacking that slap in the face that one gets too often from Napa. 72-75+

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Banana, cassis, more freshness and elegance, red plum, black cherry and strawberry. Herbs and earth, dried mint. Slightly salty with a note of sea breeze. Lovely balance and freshness with earthy, dusty tannins. Lots of herbs and red fruit. Rosemary. 70-76+

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep, cassis and bold fruit with beautifully soft tannin and lovely freshness. A touch of papaya, blueberry muffin, cooked cabbage. Intensity and vibrance. Poised, balanced and with a superb future. Incredibly deep with hints of mint and eucalyptus. 73-75++

2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
More red fruit, plum and spiced fruit. Olive tapenade and elegance on the nose. Fresh and fruity, hints of herbs and a touch of spice. Nice balance and whilst it will develop for a good few years, it is so loveable and drinkable already that if I owned any I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off it. 72-75

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
Wet chalk, minerals, rocks, sea breeze and red fruits, blackberry, spice and lots of ripe fruit but with punchy tannin and lovely freshness. Lots of depth and it does need to age, it has a "drink me" quality. Give it time if you can keep your hands off it. A hypothetical blend of 2011 and 2010 69-74++

We tasted the older wines first as Beth believes that you can't pick up the nuances when you have the young wines before old. I am inclined to agree.

Spottswoode is clearly a prime plot and they are making great wine. It is just a shame that I can't afford much of it yet. I'm really glad I was able to make it to this tasting and to have long conversations with Beth about wine, politics, John Bonne and Robert Parker. Definitely on the visit hitlist if I make it to California.

WOTN? I don't think I could pick one as they all had their own intriguing characters. To drink but will age, the 2006 and 1995. Now, 1988, for the future 2010 (which amazingly got 100 points from RP tasted blind!! What is the world coming to!).
Jonathan Beagle's Wine Blog
An explanation of my 100 point scoring system

Sake Consultant for SAKE@UK the Sake Import Division of JAPAN@UK

President of the Cambridge University Wine Society 2015-2016

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dstgolf
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Re: A Spottswoode Vertical Tasting with Beth Milliken

Post by dstgolf »

Jono,

Don't know how this one slipped by. Great notes and must have been a real treat. Spottswoode sure has produced some beautiful Cali Cabs but I'm with you on the price point. For me too expensive for what it is or what it will be. I haven't seen this wine transform into a better wine with age developing the nuances that a good Bordeaux does. Maybe I'm biased but....
Danny
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DavidG
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Re: A Spottswoode Vertical Tasting with Beth Milliken

Post by DavidG »

Yes, I agree. Great notes. Fine wine but not great QPR and not destined to turn magically complex.

I keep having to remind myself every time I read one of Jono's posts that his scale goes from 0-100, not 50-100.
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Claret
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Re: A Spottswoode Vertical Tasting with Beth Milliken

Post by Claret »

I visited the winery and tasted the 95 from barrel and was suitably impressed. I enjoyed 94-96 but stopped buying as the price escalated.
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AKR
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Re: A Spottswoode Vertical Tasting with Beth Milliken

Post by AKR »

I have some memories of maybe buying 97 and 01, and eventually also getting the feeling that the experience didn't match the price.

We once had it side by side with a same year Phelps basic bottling, with folks who were NOT wine snobs, which tends to lead to more honest assessments I think.

IIRC the Phelps was more popular.

But even that too seen its price run up faster than my interest.
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