2017 Amici Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
James Suckling
“Lovely creaminess“
2017 Amici Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
James Suckling
“Lovely creaminess“
Vineyard Notes
The Spring Mountain appellation lies above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains that separate Napa Valley from Sonoma Valley. The area is defined by small vineyards, often hand-tilled on terraces and sloping meadows, and wineries hidden from view among steep winding roads. Over the years, despite its limited space and remoteness, the Spring Mountain appellation has produced an abundance of wines acclaimed worldwide for an unmistakable profile. Unlike other mountain appellations, these wines have an intense flavor that leans more to dark red fruit than black, with an earthy minerality and unusually silky, balanced tannins.
Winemaking Notes
The Amici Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is always a wine of freshness driven by tannins, and the 2017 is no different. Capturing the essence of mountain-grown fruit, the wine is powerful yet graceful, with perfumed aromas of violets, fresh tobacco and blackberry. The savory, dense palate features licorice flavors along with juicy blackberry underlain with spearmint and loam. Strong, chalky mountain tannins that are already beginning to soften showing the age-ability of this wine.
- Vintage
- 2017
- Varietal
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Appellation
- Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley
- Blend
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol
- 14.7%
- Fermentation & Aging
- 100% stainless steel fermentation. Aged 22 months in 100% new French oak barrels
Reviews
James Suckling
“Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas with cedar, lavender, hints of sage and currants. Full body and creamy tannins that are chewy, yet very fine-grained. Lovely creaminess to this. 100% cabernet sauvignon. Needs two or three years to soften. Try after 2021.”
Jeb Dunnuck
“A new release from this team, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District comes from the highest site in the appellation and is 100% Cabernet aged 22 months in new French oak. It’s a tight, focused, unquestionably mountain-styled wine (it’s tannic) yet has wonderfully pure, cooler fruit as well as complex notes of sappy green herbs, graphite, licorice, and spice. With medium to full-bodied richness, good concentration, and integrated acidity and tannins, it’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.”
Vinous Media
“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District is soft, supple and racy, with terrific palate presence and character. Red cherry jam, blood orange and rose petal overtones all grace this exquisite, wonderfully nuanced Cabernet from Amici Cellars. This is such an attractive wine.”
Wine Advocate
“From the Spring Mountain vineyard, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 100% new French Taransaud, Sylvain and Darnajou barrels. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up opulent notes of baked raspberries, plum pudding and blackcurrant pastilles with suggestions of sautéed herbs, chargrill and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rock-solid frame of firm, chewy tannins and background freshness, finishing a little hard and charry.”
