“Loads of menthol and pepper spice fill the nose, with a supporting fruit core of black cherry, black currant and wild raspberry. The texture is like crushed satin but the tannins, though fine grain, have good staying power. Mocha and cherry pits add character to the close. L.B. (3/1/2011) — 90″ – The Wine Enthusiast.
The reserve is our most daring wine, characterized by a long whole-berry fermentation in 500 litre oak barrels. Some people say this sort of “integral fermentation” creates wine with a totally different feel than traditional fermentation. It retains fruit like a carbonic maceration, but it’s not quite a carbonic maceration because there is some air that gets in through the pores of the wood and the barrel’s open top when we take our daily measurements on each barrel. The result has been described as sublime, hedonistic and every other good word there is.
One time, a customer asked me if I had ever tasted Screaming Eagle. He assured me that it was almost as good as our Reserve. I’ll leave it to you to decide if this is a legendary cuvée. But I know that I love it. Ryan O’Connell, Winemaker.
- Available vintages: 2006 and 2007
- AOC Cabardes
- Varietals: Merlot – Cabernet Sauvignon – Syrah
