2002 Whispering Dove, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Reserve

This wine is dark garnet with a ruby rim. Initially the nose was black cherry and currants. The flavors were black cherry and raspberries, with high acid and a long astringent finish. Out of the bottle the wine seemed very tight, although with enough fruit that is was enjoyable to drink now. I let the wine stand in a glass for more than two hours, and it opened up and became much more complex, with flavors of cherry, currants, tobacco and spices. I think with 5-10 years of aging this will be a very nice Cabernet. List price is probably around $40. I paid $30. My rating is 90.

Whispering Dove is suppose to be made by some small, famous Napa Cabernet producer, but no one is allowed to tell you who the wine maker is or the origin of the grapes. The back label says Whispering Dove “The Alter Eagle”, which leads some people to speculate that this is a second wine of Screaming Eagle. I believe this has been denied, but I suspect the name of the wine is a play on the Screaming Eagle name. While this is a very good Napa Cabernet for the price, it is not in the class with Screaming Eagle.