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WS: 92
Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Benchland Select 2005

Cakebread Cellars is located in the heart of the Napa Valley on Highway 29 between Oakville and Rutherford. Family owned and operated for 36 years, we pride ourselves on making full flavored, balanced and elegant wines.
Member Reviews for Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Benchland Select
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The big '01s are still rolling out. This one's very fine and Oakville-y, showing well-oaked, lush, black currant and cassis fruit, with a cocca finish. It has soft, intricately sweet tannins. It's quite delicious now but seems balanced enough to age through the medium term. Drink before 2010.

The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select's dark ruby/purple-hued color is accompanied by closed aromatics consisting of compost, damp earth, underbrush, spice, licorice, cherry, plum, and currant fruit. This earthy, terroir-driven, medium-bodied 1999 displays abundant tannin in the finish.

Displays a complex, seductive aroma of ripe blackberry and plum fruit augmented by scents of tar, coffee and sweet oak. On the palate, the wine is full-textured and lush, with rich plum, black fig and cocoa flavors supported by smooth tannins. Boasting excellent structure and balance, this delicious Napa Valley Cabernet is delightful to drink now, but will handsomely repay another 7-10 years of cellaring.

This is rich and plush, supple and harmonious, with generous plum, black cherry and wild berry fruit that runs deep and persistent, repeating the dark fruit themes and ending with firm yet gentle tannins. Drink now through 2014.

The stunning 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select is a cross-village blend of Oakville and Rutherford fruit. Aromas of graphite, burning embers, crushed rocks/flint, plums, licorice and blackberries are vaguely reminiscent of a top vintage of La Mission-Haut-Brion. Full-bodied, deep, chewy flavors, admirable purity and stunning concentration result in a profound Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 20+ years. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon of this quality rarely exists at this price point.

The star here is the beautiful 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select. Its dense ruby/purple color is accompanied by aromas of gravelly earth intermixed with notions of lead pencil shavings, blue as well as blackberries, and spice. Medium-bodied with solid yet ripe tannins, good structure, a Bordeaux-like weight, and a clean, pure finish, it displays admirable purity and texture. It will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and should drink well for two decades.
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