Crown Point Estate Selection 2017
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Crown Point Estate Selection is an engaging wine with notes of red fruit, strawberries, and vibrant floral tones of violets in harmony with toasted coffee notes. On the palate, the wine displays a gentle sweetness married with fine grain tannins, a velvety texture providing a long finish.
Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There's a purity to the nose of this bottling that reveals deep, lush waves of boysenberry paste alongside a savory tone of charred beef. Polished tannins frame the sip, where ample amounts of rich black plum and blackberry are enhanced by caramel, coffee bean and mocha flavors, with acidity holding tight into the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Estate Selection is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. It takes some time to release aromas of blackcurrants and blueberries, plus tones of iron, aniseed, mushrooms and dried roses. The medium-bodied palate is pure and spicy, with fresh lift, soft, grainy tannins and a long finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, the 2017 Estate Selection reflects what's planted on the estate. It spends 26 months in 75% new French oak. This deep purple beauty boasts a rocking core of blueberry and cassis fruit as well notes of tobacco leaf, violets, chocolate, and spice box. Full-bodied, it offers wonderful purity of fruit, ripe tannins, and a balanced, elegant style.
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James Suckling
Lots of ripe dark-fruit flavors with notes of dried herbs and cured meat. Some hazelnuts, too. Full-bodied with ripe, velvety tannins and a warming mouth-feel that comes from alcohol. Long, dry finish with a touch of crushed-stone minerality.
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Roger Bower, the owner and visionary behind Crown Point, purchased the property in Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA in 2012 after recognizing its potential to produce world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. Nestled in the Eastern-most foothills of this transverse valley, Crown Point has a distinct terroir which is perfectly suited for the Bordeaux varieties. Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland are the consulting winemakers and share Roger's vision for producing estate wines to rival the best in the world. Simon Faury, formerly of Merryvale, Harlan Estate, and a native of the Northern Rhone, is the head winemaker. Simon trained in Bordeaux at several First Growth Estates, as well as at top estates in Barolo, Mendoza, and Australia. Simon has his Master’s Degree in Viticulture and Enology from The University of Bordeaux. Juve Buenrostro has managed their vineyard in Happy Canyon for twenty years. This remarkable team produces hand-crafted small lots of all five Bordeaux varieties from the estate to create two Grand Vins: Crown Point Cabernet Sauvignon and Crown Point Estate Selection. The wines are made in the vineyard and spend extended time in the cellar before release. Each wine is a unique expression of the vintage and meticulous selection at every stage. The results are rich, concentrated, voluptuous and regal wines of depth and character unrivaled in the area and in California. Crown Point wines are approachable today, yet will age gracefully for many years to come. Humbled by the extraordinary press that the wines have received since the inaugural release in the Fall of 2016, the quest for greatness continues.
The Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara American Viticultural Area where the east-west running Santa Ynez mountain range intersects with the north-south San Rafael mountain range. The east-west transverse mountain range is geographical anomaly in itself, and only one of a few in the world. While Happy Canyon sits as little as 12 miles to the north of the Pacific Ocean as the crow flies, the west-to-east running mountain range protects the vineyards from direct oceanic influence, but also traps the heat of the Santa Ynez Valley during the day. Cooling breezes and a fog-rich marine layer also roll through the canyon in the late afternoon and early morning, creating a wide temperature swing between daytime highs and nighttime lows. Their location is unique in that they do not experience the heat spikes felt in the North-South running Napa Valley.
Happy Canyon’s warm micro-climate is the perfect home for Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as many Rhône varietals. The soil, a mixture of loam and clay loam with interspersed cobbles, is high in mineral levels while low in nutrients, resulting in small vines and very low grape yields—a circumstance that results in concentrated flavors and excellent terroir expression.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
On the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley, the rolling hills of the tiny Happy Canyon AVA produce top quality reds from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and whites from Sauvignon blanc. The region’s low-nutrient soil grows smaller vines and in turn, higher quality wine grapes.