The Wine Times

Not much to say except wow– and not simply because it’s old. In 1992, the Wine Advocate gave it 90 points, and in 1999 Spectator gave it a mere 82. One thing is clear, the ratings are going down over time, and the wine now is largely on its last legs.

Originally I’d purchased two bottles of this in the early 90’s. It was known for its propensity to age well and for a California cab, and I can certainly attest to that. The first bottle I opened about two years ago and the second I opened last night at my favorite local wine bar and restaurant in Raleigh, Enoteca Vin. To be honest, they weren’t much different. Both had a bit of that old bottle must that blows off with a few swirls in-glass.

In spite of its dropping ratings over time due to its sheer age, I found the wine to absolutely wonderful and particularly enlightening. Why? Because they don’t build cabs like this anymore. Even if it isn’t as good as it was in the mid-90’s, tasting this wine will open your eyes to the olden days of California Cab- that is, before they started oaking the life out of it. It drinks much more like a Bordeaux. Though not quite as rich and supple, it shows many of the same characteristics of earth and very mellowed-out fruit, particularly currant and a hint of cedar. Drinking such an old bottle (19 years old at this point) also provides more than ample time for any of the pungent new oak flavors we’re now accustomed to, to relax and sublime. The tannins are still present. Though rather than contributing to the sort of dense, chewy bite that so many of us have come to know and love about California Cab- the kind that will leave you pulling your lips away from your gums with a pair of pliers, they show just enough to give the wine substance and hold it together.

All-in-all. This wine proved to be something of a history lesson, providing a window back into the days when California was producing a very different sort of cab. In fact, this exact bottle is still available from a few online retailers to the very modest tune of $40-$45. There’s no doubt that it’s worth every penny.