Inglenook Niebaum Coppola 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Description

Earlier vintages of Inglenook Niebaum Coppola 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 were 100% Cabernet Sauvignon but in this 2017 vintage 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec were added to 91% Cabernet Sauvignon in order to enhance the structure of the wine, expand the range of fruit flavours and aromas and to soften the mouthfeel. For a few years now, Philippe Bascaules of Château Margaux has been overseeing the wine-making of the Inglenook 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon which may account for the addition of the other grapes in line with the blend of Château Margaux. Whatever the reason the result is that Inglenook Niebaum Coppola 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017  is a spectacularly complex, concentrated red wine with a bit of oomph. Juicy red and black fruits like blackcurrants, plums and blackberries dominate with a touch of vanilla and cocoa-powder. Aside from the concentration and intensity of flavours, the wine is full-bodied. Dusty tannins are evident on the teeth as you would expect from a relatively young Cabernet Sauvignon – they will soften as the wine contimues to devleop in bottle over the next 5 or so years. But there’s no need to wait several years as this wine is very approachable now. It is fantastically smooth with a very elegant feel. Amazing wine!

Earlier vintages of the Inglenook 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon previously known as Inglenook Rubicon Estate 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon were great favourites amongst customers and so when I tatsted Inglenook Niebaum Coppola 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 I should not have been surprised that it is also a fabulous wine. 1882 refers to the year of the first harvest by Gustave Niebaum on the Inglenook estate owned for many years now by Francis Ford-Coppola and his wife, Eleanor. Niebaum dug a small cave, pictured on the bottle, to understand better the ideal temperature for barrel ageing. The wine has been renamed after the winery so is now known as Inglenook Niebaum-Coppola 1882 Cabernet Sauvignon.