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Wine Advocate # 204 (Dec. 2012) Review of 2009 Prince of Hearts, Paradise Hills Vineyard

Review by Antonio Galloni

Rating: (91)


The 2009 Prince of Hearts Paradise Hills Vineyard jumps from the glass with an immediacy and juiciness that is impossible not to love. The extroverted, racy fruit is perfectly suited for an entry-level bottling. Raspberry jam, flowers, tobacco and sweet spices wrap around the palate as this flashy wine shows off its pedigree. The French oak is just a bit dominant, but that is a relatively small critique for a wine that delivers so much sheer pleasure at this price point. The 2009 is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021. Claude and Katherine Blankiet have spared no expense in their goal to make world-class wines, and it shows in these magnificent new releases. One of the biggest changes at Blankiet over the last few years has been the creation of a second wine, Prince of Hearts, first released with the 2008 vintage. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the creation of a second label is one of the main reasons quality has been so exceptional here, especially in the last few years, none of which has been easy. Prince of Hearts, with its production between 600-1,000 cases, is all or mostly juice that used to end up in the Rive Droite and Proprietary Red. Readers who want to learn more about Blankiet might like to take a look at my videos of the 2011 and 2012 harvests.

Anticipated maturity 2012-2021

 

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