Rocca Estate Cab Grigsby 2010

Tasting Notes: Our 2010 Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully classic expression of ripe Napa Valley Cabernet. This is certainly a big wine, and built to last. The overall impression, though, is one of exquisite proportion and balance. For a wine with this much power and concentration, it remains remarkably light on its feet. The nose offers up a beautiful, spicy mélange of red and black berries. While the fruit is central, there’s a lot more going on here. The aromas are fascinatingly complex, with an impressive array of flowers, spice, oak, mineral, and chocolate notes seamlessly woven together with fruit that is rich and ripe, yet particularly sophisticated. Interestingly, the vineyard’s traditional rocky, dusty mineral component seems to have been amplified by the vintage’s significantly reduced yields. One of our favorite aspects of this wine is its personality through the mid-palate. The deliciously juicy ripe fruit comes across as especially deep and complete, a fact we attribute to the unusually long hang time provided by the 2010 growing season. This is a Cabernet with substantial tannic substance, albeit with the polished velvety smoothness that is Rocca’s hallmark, and we expect it to age exceptionally well. The finish is pretty and elegant, with a spicy black cherry note that seems to linger forever. Rather than coating the palate, it gives the impression of dancing lightly across it.