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I was also able to taste a barrel sample of the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s clearly one of the deeper hued 2022s I was able to taste for this report. Darker currants, hints of cassis, scorched earth, and tobacco all emerge on the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a classic, elegant Spottswood texture, building tannins, and outstanding length.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDThe 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, tasted as a barrel sample, is deep purple-black in color. Intense scents of plum preserves, blueberry pie, and creme de cassis give way to wafts of dried roses, star anise, and powdered cinnamon. The medium-bodied palate is velvety and lively, with bags of juicy black and blue fruit preserves leading to a long and spicy finish on this impressive wine.The Wine Independent | 94-96+ TWIDark, layered and imposing, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a promising wine for the year. Dark red and purplish fruit, spice and rose petals open gradually, wrapped together by firm, large-grained tannins for this site. This core blend represents about 40% of the eventual final blend.Vinous Media | 92-95 VM

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard opens with provocative ferrous, crushed rocks and tar notes over a core of crème de cassis, redcurrant jelly and raspberry leaves with a hint of wild fungi. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with tension and jam-packed with pure black and red fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing with uplifting mineral sparks. This energetic beauty needs some time. Give it a good 4-5 years in bottle and drink it over the next 25 years+. 396 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is such a gorgeous and highly representative wine off this site. Crushed rocks, graphite, menthol, crème de cassis and spice are so typical of this site. At this stage, the Piedras does not have the sheer appeal or immediacy of the Crane, but then again, that is Piedras. All of this fruit is Clone 4, which in this rugged site yields very small berries with plenty of concentration. And that is exactly what comes through in this majestic Cabernet.Vinous Media | 96 VMA juicy, round-textured red with plum and berry character, as well chocolate and spice. Wet rock, too. It’s full-bodied and layered with pretty fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Extremely polished and poised. A little tight at the finish. Drink after 2023, but already very attractive.James Suckling | 96 JSRipe and vivid, with a lovely display of cassis, plum and anise flavors driving through nicely, while violet and graphite accents add range and length. A light bramble accent underscores it all, adding good energy. A really strong showing. Best from 2022 through 2036. 396 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Coming from a rockier site no more than a stone’s throw from Dr. Crane Vineyard, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is more meaty and savory, with lots of red and black fruits as well as loads of rocky, earthy minerality, spring flower, tobacco, and lead pencil-like nuances. Just beautifully balanced on the palate, it’s full-bodied and elegant, with silky tannins, no hard edges, and one incredible finish. It’s more red-fruited than the Dr. Crane, yet it has a similar ethereal, weightless style that makes it such a joy to drink, even today. Given its balance, purity, and freshness, I have no doubt it will evolve for 25+ years, and I’m probably underrating it by a point.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDSuperb aromas of blackberries, currants, crushed stones, conifer and wet earth. Menthol, too. Full-bodied with a dense center-palate, yet it remains agile and persistent. Lovely character and richness at the finish, but not overpowering. Another three or four years will make it better, but already gorgeous.James Suckling | 98 JSA bit further west than the Dr. Crane Vineyard, with more slope, bigger rocks and a bit more protection from the afternoon sun, this vineyard has yielded a stunning 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard. It leads off with scents of cedar and baking spices, then backs those up with notes of black cherries and cassis. Full-bodied, richly textured and tannic but ripe, this finishes long, with mouthwatering fruit balanced against silky tannins. Give it a few years in the cellar and drink it over the next couple of decades. 392 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is a huge wine. Blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice, spice, menthol, gravel and intense savory herbs are kicked up in an explosive, dense Cabernet. This concentrated, virile Cabernet possesses tremendous energy and pure power, all in a masculine style that needs years to come into its own. There is plenty of tannin, but it is well integrated. The 2019 is a bit unruly today, like a poorly behaved young child. Let’s see how it grows up.Vinous Media | 97+ VMThis has power but is reserved in style, with dark currant preserves, plum puree and black cherry reduction notes laced with singed alder and sweet tobacco. A subtle iron note chimes gently through the long finish, which fleshes out steadily as this airs. Best from 2023 through 2038. 392 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Pure black currants on the nose with an incredible al dente grape character. It’s almost like grape must. Undertone of ink and violets and sandalwood. Perfumed. Hints of spearmint. Full-bodied, but so well-formed and reserved. A touch of mint on the palate with dark fruits. It is very complete and reminds me of the classy Spottswoode 2001. I keep being impressed with the purity of fruit with the earthy undertones and stones. Savory. A fitting 40th anniversary wine. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc, and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. Scents of creme de cassis, mulberries, and juicy plums jump from the glass, giving way to an undercurrent of licorice, lilacs, crushed rocks, and clove oil. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with bright, vivacious black and blue fruits, framed by firm yet super-ripe tannins and amazing tension, finishing long with loads of mineral, baking spice, and floral layers. This is pure electricity!The Wine Independent | 99 TWISlated for a September 2024 release, Spottswoode’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes across as more vibrant, floral and fresh than the 2020. Violet and cassis notes are accented by hints of crushed stone and pencil shavings on the nose. Hugely complex yet harmonious, this medium-bodied effort is firm but silky in feel, with a long, elegant finish. Lovely stuff.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPMoving to the Grand Vin, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep, dense purple color as well as a primordial nose of ripe black fruits, cassis, camphor, scorched earth, violet, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Reminding me of a young Leoville Las Cases with its closed, dense, structured style, it’s concentrated, has a pure, layered, focused style, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It needs 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The blend of the 2021 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic wine off this estate. Bright and floral, with silky tannins, the 2021 is exceptionally finessed and so elegant. I can’t remember another vintage like it. I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2021 spent 20 months in barrel, 60-65% new, mostly French, with a touch of Hungarian wood.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis offers a gorgeous display of pure, unadulterated mulberry, boysenberry and plum fruit puree flavors that glisten as they move along, throwing off light accents of anise, violet and hibiscus along the way. Inlaid with an underlying fine-grained structure in the form of sleek threads of iron and alder, this shows tensile strength while extending through the long, refined finish. Drink now through 2045. 3,739 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS