1997 Spottswoode Vineyard Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley from this lot has the following scores - The Wine Advocate 98 points, The Wine Independent 98 points. 1997 Spottswoode Vineyard Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley from this lot has the following scores - The Wine Advocate 98 points, The Wine Independent 98 points. This is the tasting note for 1997 Spottswoode Vineyard Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley from Robert Parker - A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 1997 is just short of perfection from this great vintage in Napa Valley. A spectacular wine, it was the first made by Rosemary Cakebread. Production was quite high, as the new plantings started to fully produce, with 4,800+ cases declared. This is wine that fills the olfactory senses with gorgeous ripeness, blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries and cassis, while spring flowers and a touch of oak still lingers in the aromatics. When the wine hits the palate, the extraordinary intensity, purity and multi-dimensional complexity all seem to converge with a cascade of fruit, glycerin and richness. Like most Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons, it is only 13.8% alcohol. This is a magnificent wine, a young adolescent in the scheme of its potentially fascinating evolution and should have a good 25-30+ years left in it – although it’s strutting its stuff at present. Certainly in the first two decades of Spottswoode wines this is clearly one of the most compelling efforts.