Acclaim for Cabernet Sauvignon 'Premiere Cuvee'
Awards
Vintage 1998: Vintage 1996:- Excellent - Frederic Koeppel - 02.25.2010
The blend in the Renaissance Premier Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon 1996, North Yuba, Sierra Foothills, is 77 percent cabernet sauvignon, 12 percent merlot, 11 percent cabernet franc; the alcohol level is an eminently sane 12.6 percent. This smooth, mellow but rigorously structured cabernet opens with classic and seductive scents of black pepper, licorice, black cherry and cedar. The wine spent two years in — you have to admire this forthright expression — “old oak barrels,” of German, French and American origin, so the effect of the wood is engaging shapeliness and suppleness, while grenadier-like acidity keeps a keen eye on appealing vibrancy and vitality. In the mouth, flavors of plums and dried red and black currants are packed with potpourri and dried spice and a hint of an earthy, granite-like minerality that expands into the slightly austere finish. 380 cases produced. Now through 2016 to ‘18. Excellent. About $45.
- Excellent - Frederic Koeppel - 10.10.07
Grapes for this 100 percent cabernet sauvignon wines come from the highest point of the Renaissance vineyards, and in the wine’s deep, dusty, minerally and earthy qualities, in its muscularity, you feel the sparseness of the soil, the slight strain and effort brought about by the elevation and exposure. A sensualist’s delight, the wine’s bouquet teems with potpourri, licorice and lavender and violets, cloves and sandalwood, macerated and roasted black currants and black cherries. This cabernet sees NO NEW OAK instead, it ages 18 months in large, neutral barrels. It’s quite dry and austere, and zinging acid keeps the structure taut and vibrant. Lovely fruit and incredible presence, but the astringency requires aging until 2012 through 2019 or ‘20. The alcohol level is 12.7 percent. Excellent.
- Score: between 9 and 9.5. - Vinography - Alder Yarrow - 01.05.08
"Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dates, candied plums, and somewhat I can only describe as a light funk, perhaps in the key of George Clinton. In the mouth it astonishes with a lightness of step and clarity that is almost never found in California Cabernet. Tart cherry flavors play through silky textures to dance with velvety tannins all of which express a beautiful essence of fruit without a trace of oak, alcoholic heat, or sweetness. Lovely and ready to age for another 10 years without blinking." Score: between 9 and 9.5.
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"The '95 vintage was, along with 1997, an outstanding vintage at Renaissance. Both are intense, beautifully structured and clearly long-lived. The difference is that '97 is richer while '95 shows a bit more delicacy.
Premiere Cuvee is Renaissance's intended "signature" wine, the one the winery sees as the richest, fullest, most long-lived of its array of cabernets. Indeed, this is powerful, full-bodied wine, but it's nowhere near the fruit bombs so commonly found today. Instead, this is penetrating, dimensional cabernet suffused with an austere fruit and lovely balance, a blend of cabernet sauvignon (76%) and merlot (24%). This is eminently drinkable today, but will make old bones for sure".
NY Sun - Matt Kramer - 06.01.05 - Link to award