Domaine South Presents
Spottswoode Wine Dinner
with Special Guest, Assistant Winemaker Molly Sheppard
Friday, May 2, 2025
5:30 pm
2023 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc
Scallop Ceviche, Grilled Peach, Golden Pear
2021 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon
French Style Lentils, Crispy Duck Leg, Lacinato Kale
2021 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Roman Style Braised Oxtail, Gorgonzola Polenta, Fresh Herb Salad
Chocoalate Truffles
$199 per person (not inclusive of tax and gratuity)
By Reservation Only – Please Call 256.759.9952
“By pure serendipity and luck, we are the stewards of an amazing, historic winegrowing estate in Napa Valley, which we intend to be a multi-generational family business. We consider ourselves very fortunate.”
When the history of Napa’s great vineyards is written, the 40-acre Spottswoode grand cru vineyard will be counted among the finest grand vineyards in the region.- Robert Parker, Wine Critic
Spottswoode Wine Dinner
With Special Guest,
Assistant Winemaker Molly Shepard
Established in 1882, Spottswoode Estate is distinguished by the pre-Prohibition Victorian home depicted on our wine label. Spottswoode was christened by Mrs. Albert Spotts in 1910 and later acquired by Mary and Jack Novak in 1972. Mary released Spottswoode’s first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982, exactly one hundred years after the estate’s founding.
Today, Mary’s daughter Beth Weber Novak manages the winery, and daughter Lindy Novak serves as the winery’s Marketing Ambassador. Every year Spottswoode releases an Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and an Estate Sauvignon Blanc. In addition, Spottswoode produces a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon called Lyndenhurst, a dual-appellation Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, and a limited-production Field Book Estate Red Wine. Committed to producing wines with integrity that faithfully reflect their grape origins, Spottswoode wines are especially known for their refined elegance, balance, and classic structure.
The Wines
2023 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California $62.99
The 2023 vintage was long and temperate, and at times, blissfully cool. The resulting wine has a great balance of richness and texture and a very well delineated backbone of vibrant acidity. Aromatics and flavors of lemon, mandarin, Asian pear, and white peach with fresh, floral notes of cassis bud and lime. Very long and mouth-wateringly juicy.
Blend: 93% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Semillon
95 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Spottswoode has been one of Napa Valley's stars with this grape variety. The 2023 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc is one of the winery's finest efforts. TASTING NOTES: This wine is vibrant and energetic, exhibiting aromas and flavors of ripe lemons and limes. Its chalkiness and graphite pair well with grilled oysters. (Tasted: May 10, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
94 Wine Spectator
Powerful, with a succulent, fragrant mix of peach, grilled lemon and pineapple flavors that show details of lemon verbena, lemon balm, beeswax, orange blossoms and litsea oil. Seamless and harmonious all the way through the long, impressive finish.
93 James Suckling
Rich in fresh herbs, citrus and crisp melon aromas, with plenty of fruit and freshness. All barrel fermented, using about half steel barrels and half oak barrels. With great acidity and linearity, it tastes tangy but full on the palate.
93 Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is gorgeous, offering clean citrus and lime-like fruits with a pure, minty, floral style that keeps you coming back to the glass. I love its purity, it's medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, and a great finish.
2021 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California $117.99
Opulent floral top notes carry you into an opaque purple core, imparting aromas of black currants, dark red cherry coulis, cigar box, and allspice berries. Powerful yet soft tannins are balanced with a delightful freshness of acidity. The palate is silky with nuanced flavors of cassis, ripe blackberry, and Morello cherry. The long finish invites you to discover the wine’s evolving layers.
Professional Ratings
94 James Suckling
A juicy red with black currants and balsamic. Bark and mushroom. Iodine, too. Medium body, creamy texture that tightens at the end. An energy and firmness in the finish.
94 Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of this incredible estate, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst reveals a deep purple hue as well as a great nose of assorted currants, black cherries, tobacco, and lead pencil. It's beautifully concentrated, has medium to full-bodied richness, and ripe tannins, all making for an undeniably delicious, classic, balanced Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the coming 10-15 years.
93 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2021 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon is tightly wound yet not tannic. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with its aromas and flavors of autumn leaves, dried earth, and early summer blackberries. Serve it with a grilled, well-marbled ribeye. (Tasted: May 10, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The non-estate 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst, like the estate bottling, is scheduled for release in September 2024. Including all five Bordeaux varieties and matured in 40% new French oak, it boasts classic scents of cassis, black cherries and some gentle cedary notes. It's medium to full-bodied, gently velvety but still firm, with a long, cool finish. It's more than $100 these days, but it still delivers a high-quality drinking experience.
92 Wine Spectator
A bright red, with a floral edge of iris and hibiscus that plays nicely with the red currant and cherry compote core. Brambly energy is buried on the finish, giving support and lending this an accessible feel. Drink now through 2035. 2,897 cases made.
2021 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California $305.99
Winemaker Notes
Stunning! Beautiful aromatics of candied violet, blackberry, blueberry yogurt, and cassis. Powerfully expressive with sturdy, firm tannins, generous acidity, and a long lively finish marked by cedar and toffee notes. An elegant vintage, this spectacular wine captures the essence of the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard. It is fresh and youthful now with a long life ahead.
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
100 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
I began my Spottswoode journey with the winery's maiden release, the 1982 vintage; I never stopped, and 40 years later, I still get goosebumps when popping this wine's cork. I tasted the 2021 with Alice's family at our Christmas Dinner. Not only was I amazed (as I often had been with each new release, but one of Alice's sisters, Nancy, who is not a regular wine drinker, loved the wine and commented that it was smooth and "delicious." This vintage excites with aromas and flavors of compelling blackberries, exotic spices, hints of licorice, and focused cassis. We savored this wine with our succulent Prime Rib Roast. (Tasted: December 25, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
99 James Suckling
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.
99 Tasting Panel
Celebrating a milestone of 40 vintages, this winery has been guided by CEO Beth Novak since 1987. Its historic 42-acre estate vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985 and is now certified biodynamic and regenerative organic; Spottswoode is also a member of B Corp and the International Wineries for Climate Action's Gold level. With a small addition of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this Cab aged 20 months in barrel offers a velvet-lined entry of blue fruit that promptly seduces the palate. Soothing notes of dark chocolate-violet ganache and quince contribute further impact, strengthened by an elegant backbone
98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Slated 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.
Rating: 98+
98 Jeb Dunnuck
Moving 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.
Rating: 98+
97 Vinous
The 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.
