Smith-Madrone

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Smith-Madrone 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)

Price $45

This is the opposite of those gooey, cult-style wines grown down on the valley benches and floor. It’s pure mountain in the tannins, acidity and dryness, with below 14% alcohol. It’s a food wine, with cassis, cedar and mineral flavors. Should age well for a decade. — S.H. (9/1/2009)

points

Smith-Madrone 2007 Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)

Cellar Selection

Price $45

One of the last 2007s to be released, and it’s still nowhere near ready to drink. It’s astringent and bone dry, but it’s also elegant. Complex flavors of blackberries, black currants, green olives, anise and cedar abound. It demonstrates the balance of the 2007 vintage and the ageability of Spring Mountain wines. Cellar this for 8–10 years, and it won’t be… — S.H. (4/1/2013)

points

Smith-Madrone 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $35

From a tiny estate vineyard on Spring Mountain, this is a rich and tremendously concentrated Cabernet. Blackberry and cassis flavors are tightly wound around firm but pretty tannins, and the oak is modulated. Polished and elegant, it's ready to drink tonight, but will age for many years. — S.H. (12/1/2001)

points

Smith-Madrone 2006 Riesling (Spring Mountain)

Editors' Choice

Price $22

Doesn’t say “dry” on the label, like so many others do, but it really is basically dry, which allows the palate to savor the pure fruit of the grape and the beautifully crisp acids. This really is one of the most balanced Rieslings in California, with a slate and petrol edge to the green apple, pineapple, nectarine and wildflower flavors. If you like aging your… — S.H. (9/1/2007)

points

Smith-Madrone 2006 Chardonnay (Spring Mountain)

Editors' Choice

Price $28

Dry, crisp and minerally, this Chard has intensely pure flavors of ripe white peach, pear, green apple and pineapple that have a stony scour of cold steel. It’s the opposite of the modern style of oaky fruit bomb Chards, with an elegant integrity that’s food-friendly and ageworthy. Fine now, and should do interesting things for a decade. — S.H. (5/1/2008)

points

Smith-Madrone 2007 Riesling (Spring Mountain)

Online Exclusive

Price $25

Smith-Madrone makes one of California’s best Alsatian-style Rieslings from their estate high up on this estate in the Mayacamas. It’s a dry, crisply acidic wine, brimming with citrus, pear, diesel, honeysuckle and mineral flavors, and it’s an ager, as vertical tastings prove. Beautiful now and through 2013. — S.H. (9/1/2009)

points

Smith-Madrone 2008 Chardonnay (Spring Mountain)

Online Exclusive

Price $30

Shows the bone-dry, crisply acidic minerality of the winery’s Chardonnays, a brisk, elegant wine whose complexities make it fascinating. The lemon and lime flavors are enriched with a touch of oak and lees. Try aging for six years to experience an aged California Chardonnay. — S.H. (5/1/2011)

points

Smith-Madrone 2009 Chardonnay (Spring Mountain)

Price $35

Concentrated, intense orange, apricot and mineral flavors characterize this Chardonnay, as does a brisk cut of acidity. It handles the 100% new French oak, with notes of buttered toast and sweet wood sap almost dominating. But then the ripe fruit comes swirling back, providing dynamic tension. Drink this flashy, young Chardonnay in the next few years with lobsters… — S.H. (8/1/2012)

Most Reviewed Designations

Estate Bottled

Most Reviewed Varietals

Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Riesling

2010 Pence Ranch Westslope

This is sourced from the winery's steepest and most wind-exposed blocks…

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