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Judged by the world’s most experienced wine critics, Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine, Spring Mountain Vineyard’s signature Bordeaux-style wine, Elivette was the only California wine to receive GOLD in Decanter Magazine 2010 World Wine Awards.
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The only GOLD medal in California Spring Mountain Vineyard
Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, United States
"Impressive and highly perfumed on the nose. The palate has a sweet, rich entry with very fine tannins, the fruit is savoury and concentrated. It has a clean and refreshing finish with lingering length. From 2012 onwards." |
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Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, United States
"A dense nose, with hints of black cherry and a touch of oak. Suave, ripe tannins with big black fruits and powerful depth." |
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Thick and viscous, with ripe, concentrated black cherry and bittersweet chocolate notes and velvety tannins. A lovely kirsch note distinguishes this mouthful of wine, as does the plush texture, and lingering mocha-scented finish. Best from 2007 through 2012. 1,980 cases made. (JL, October 31, 2005) |
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A bit rustic, with a trace of racy boysenberry in the
aroma. Dense, rich and chewy on the palate, with a
tight focus to the wild berry and blackberry fruit.
Hints of anise, fresh earth and sage fold in nicely.
Decant. Drink now through 2012.—J.L. |
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A rich, smooth and seductive style that starts out with flashy toasty, smoky oak and leads to a ripe, slightly hot and intense wine with layers of currant and blackberry fruit that firms up on the finish, with a surge of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2012. (JL, June 15, 2004) |
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Intense and tightly wound, with creamy oak wrapped around complex earthy currant, blackberry and black cherry fruit. Holds its focus nicely on a long, concentrated finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2004 through 2012. (JL, October 12, 2002) |
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A dark, rich, deeply concentrated wine, with ripe plum, currant, cedar, sage and tobacco flavors that are tightly wound, finishing with chewy tannins. Best from 2003 through 2010. (JL, December 31, 2002) |
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Remarkably complex and flavorful, with tiers of herb, currant, black cherry and creamy vanilla- and mocha-oak flavors woven in. Finishes with supple, polished tannins and good length. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2003 through 2012. (JL, October 15, 2002) |
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A big, rich, dense and distinctive California red that adds some earthy, leathery dimensions to its appealing core of currant and plummy, mineral-like Cabernet fruit flavors. Tightens on the finish, with mouth-coating tannins. Best from 2003 through 2012. (JL, February 28, 2001) |
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Ripe and juicy, with plum, black cherry and blackberry flavors, picking up sage, anise and dusty notes, finishing with firm, complex tannins. Best from 2002 through 2012. (JL, October 31, 2000) |
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Dark, ripe and complex, with rich, intense black cherry, spice, plum, beef and chocolate notes, finishing with firm tannins and fine length. Best from 2001 through 2008. (JL, September 30, 2000) |
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Beautifully focused, ripe, rich and polished given its intensity, with tiers of currant, black cherry, mocha, cedar and tobacco, with an amazingly long, intricate aftertaste. Should be a good bet for long-term cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2002 through 2012. (JL, October 31, 2000) |
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2007 Elivette. ... a wine that’s restrained and vinous rather than directly fruity, its supple, almost cushy tannins a relief for what might otherwise seem like cabernet severity (the way young Left-Bank Bordeaux can seem severe). Give this enough air and it plumps up to wild blueberry flavors and dark roast coffee tannins, fresh and elegant, holding structural refinement and length. This is the best vintage of Elivette we’ve tasted on release. June 2012 |
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Check this out if you enjoyed the classic vintages of Gruaud-Larose: This is funky and complex, with the same kind of fat that St-Julien would boast (this does include a small amount of petit verdot, but it’s more likely the meaty funk that brings Gruaud to mind). Initially herbal and tight, this opens into a powerful complexity, the tannins almost lamby in flavor, the fruit a deep well of cassis. The 225 acres of vines at Spring Mountain Vineyard were originally planted in the 19th century by four separate owners, now providing a range of elevations and expositions for blending into this wine. (3,000 cases) Spring Mountain Vineyard, St. Helena, CA |
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A blend of cabernet sauvignon (91 percent) with franc and petit verdot, Elivette is winemaker Jac Cole’s primary selection from 60 parcels, most of them between 900 and 1200 feet in elevation. It’s richly textured Napa Valley red, focused on silken tannin and plump dark cherry fruit. There’s scents of herbs and mountain grown minerality to the tannin, layered under the equally dark extract from oak. This needs several years in bottle to fully mature. (3,500 cases) Spring Mountain Vineyard, St. Helena, CA. (Jushua Greene, W&S 7/11) |
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94 Points |
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My first notes on this wine were all about structure: its refinement, balance and harmony. And when a wine leads with complete integration, it's bound to be good. Slowly, over the course of a day, this opens to a spiciness in the tannin, like black puer tea. The fruit remains tight, black as plum skin, but generous in its depth and texture. It all hangs together in a supple whole, to cellar for ten years or more. (W&S 6/04) |
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Characteristics: dry, high acidity, full-bodied, heavy tannin; drink in 2 - 15 years. Some of France's best Syrah grows on steep hillsides; some of California's best comes from Spring Mountain, like this densely flavored wine. |
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| Woodsy elements and a certain earthy spice lead the way with hints of chocolate emerging here and there. Hushed notes of ripe currants and berries emerge through its finishing tannin. Elegance in its reach, but give it four or five years of age. |
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Toasty oak, coal smoke and plummy fruit aromas on the nose, followed by a fine-textured palate, with quite high alcohol and big tannins. March 2000 |
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