Spottswoode’s 2023 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon is the Napa Valley companion to the estate’s flagship Cabernet, built around fruit from the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard in St. Helena and supplemented by other family-owned Napa sites. The blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) with Merlot (16%) and small portions of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The winery lists alcohol at 13.5% and élevage of 20 months in French oak; the estate notes 40% new oak (with a strong Hungarian component), while Jeb Dunnuck reports a higher new-oak share, a reminder that technical details can vary by source.

In keeping with the cooler, steadier 2023 growing season and long harvest window (Spottswoode cites September 9 to November 1), the wine is described as more about clarity and line than sheer weight. The winery’s own notes emphasize Morello cherry and pomegranate, “a bright juicy core,” plus “chalky tannins,” violets, allspice, and dried herbs—an aromatic profile that reads as fresh-toned for Napa Cabernet.

Critical reception is excellent, led by multiple 95-point reviews. Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Palate) calls it “wonderfully elegant and vivacious,” highlighting “red currant preserves, wild blueberries, and cassis.” Ryan Montgomery for JamesSuckling.com also awards 95 points and points to “layers of black and blue fruit, violets, graphite…spices and ink,” carried by “fine-boned tannins” and “lovely purity and juiciness.” James Suckling’s separate note (via retail) likewise lands at 95, framing it as “a juicy red with black currants and balsamic,” with a “creamy texture that tightens at the end.”

Jeb Dunnuck’s 94 points is only a notch lower, calling Lyndenhurst “a true gem of a second wine,” and suggesting a broad drinking window, 2025–2040, with potential to “shine for 15-20 years” in good storage. The wine is slated for release June 1, 2026.