2017 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Enthusiast Advance Buying Guide, Virginie Boone

This is a perennially incredible wine for the price, rounded and spicy in clove. With 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot, it shows balance and integration—a mix of dark berry, forest and silky tannin that is seamless on the palate and impressively elegant and cohesive from start to finish. 94 points Editors’ Choice (November 2020)

Jamessuckling.com, James Suckling

Lots of blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, round and soft tannins and a flavorful finish. 84% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot with cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Drink or hold. 93 points (February 14, 2020)

Wine Advocate, Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is blended of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it offers soft spoken notes of dried lavender, wild blueberries, fresh black currants and kirsch plus hints of dried herbs, unsmoked cigars and spice cake. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to support the muscular, beautifully retrained flavors, finishing on a lingering earthy note. 92 points (October 31, 2019)

Wine Spectator, James Molesworth

Ripe, juicy and forthright, with plum, blackberry and bramble notes that knit steadily tighter as they race through the finish, picking up dried anise, sage and warm earth accents. 91 points (November 15, 2020)

Vinous, Antonio Galloni

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst is a very pretty wine. Bright red-toned fruit, floral notes and veins of tannin give the 2017 a real sense of energy; the purity of the flavors is just striking. The Lyndenhurst is easily one of the best 2017s in its peer group. This vintage has almost 1% less alcohol than the 2016, and a bit more tannic grip, which gives it a real feeling of energy. The Lyndenhurst is a blend of roughly equal parts declassified Spottswoode barrels and purchased fruit. 91 points (January 10, 2020)

Creators.com, Robert Whitley

Suffice it to say Spottswoode’s second label would make the first team at most other wineries. The 2017 is a powerhouse that begs for additional time in the cellar, offering a dynamic reward down the road upon reaching full maturity. Not that you couldn’t enjoy this wine tonight, but decanting would be highly recommended in the event you just can’t wait. You can count on the usual suspects: rich dark fruits, hints of baking spice and impressive structure that assures a bright future. 95 points (July 21, 2020)

Wine.com, Wilfred Wong

The 2017 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet is a masterful and well-designed wine. This tight-knit wine shows a keen edge while displaying lively red fruit and dried herbs in its aromas and flavors. Serve it with rosemary-infused, grilled lamb chops. 93 points (May 28, 2020)

The Press Democrat, Peg Melnik

A gorgeous cabernet sauvignon that will turn heads. What makes it a standout is its generous fruit coupled with its supple texture. Weighted to black fruit, this cab has notes of blackberry and cassis, with an enticing streak of black raspberry. The layered flavors also include cedar and thyme. Lingering finish. Striking. 4.5 stars/Highly recommended (June 16, 2020)

The Press Democrat, Michele Anna Jordan

It’s big. It’s bold. It’s a bit wild. It’s our Wine of the Week, 2017 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon ($85). The wine is a youngster, but a mature one, with a level of poise and refinement rare in a cabernet this young. There’s a silken suppleness to the wine’s texture, along with lively acidity and gorgeous fruit, including blackberry, black raspberry and black currant. There is an earthiness to the wine as well that offers suggestions of a forest floor after a summer rain, cedar, juniper berries, cumin seeds and dried thyme. The finish lingers beautifully. The wine goes perfectly with all the usual suspects, of course, from rare steak and grilled sausages to bacon, lentils, wild rice, aged cheeses and morel mushrooms. If you can snag some of the season’s last morels, sauté them in butter and spoon them over wild rice, a spectacular treat on Father’s Day if your dad is a vegetarian. (June 16, 2020)

Food & Wine, Jonathan Cristaldi

9 Summer-Ready Red Wines That Are Best Served Cold
Delivering upfront aromas of wild strawberries, blackberry, graphite, and sweet tobacco. This wine is an architectural masterpiece, framed by firm French oak tannin, and supported by a nice backbone of acidity, keeping the wine fresh and energetic, finishing with sagebrush and dark salted chocolate. (June 9, 2020)

PG Rated Blog, Peter Gianotti

As Father’s Day nears, it’s time for toasts, with the drinks that suit Dads. Diodorus and others’ Daedalus – who gave Icarus some sound advice about flying very high, or venturing too low, should get to savor the expressive, rich, and complex 2017 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. (June 16, 2020)

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