1985 was a highly regarded vintage from its inception, with a long growing season and an absence of heat spikes, but as many tastings have demonstrated, as good as the wines are, they never really blossomed to the point of brilliance that many, including this critic, had predicted early on. This is a lovely wine, make no mistake about it. Much younger than the three previous vintages of Spottswoode with much more acidity showing through (a characteristic of this vintage). Dark ruby with more purple in the color, a nice layered attack with licorice, cedar wood, tobacco leaf and black and red currants, the wine has terrific aromatics and is by far the most perfumed of the first four vintages. There is a slight abruptness in the finish, no doubt caused by the noticeable acid. This was an identical blend to the 1984, with 4% Cabernet Franc with a balance of Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine still has some upside, but seems largely at its peak of deliciousness where it should stay for another 15 or so years.
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