Barnett Vineyards Rattlesnake Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 750ML
Barnett Vineyards intensely dark purple in color this vintage the wine is big and very concentrated. Aromas of raspberries and vanilla bean are complemented by dark chocolate and licorice. Layers of allspice, clove and cassis are also apparent. Upon tasting the wine is very viscous with darker fruit flavors to match the vanilla and pure black peppercorn emerges. The tannins are quite firm with great acidity to back it up. Although some bottle bouquet will begin to develop after ten years this is an ager, for those with patience this wine will progress gracefully for the next 20 years (2033).
Wine Advocate
The flagship offering, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake Hill comes from a small, rocky vineyard planted at a 2,000 foot elevation on Spring Mountain. The most seriously endowed wine of this quartet, it is deep, rich and full-bodied with copious notes of blueberries, black raspberries, crushed rock and spring flowers. With more depth and tannin than its siblings, this wine transcends the overall quality and general impression of the 2011 vintage. It has a Bordeaux-like structure superimposed on Spring Mountain’s ripe fruit, it should be forgotten for 4-5 years, and drunk over the following 10-15 years.
Score: 90. —Robert Parker, October 2013.