Birthyear vintage labels and large format bottles

Gala wedding celebrations to feature special birthyear vintage labels and large format bottles and more ...

For son Alec and Vivianna's wedding celebrations, I assembled from our cellar a collection of birthyear vintage wines including several in large format bottles. I've written often in these pages about our collection of birthyear vintage wines for our kids, and our collection of large format bottles of special labels for special occasions. This, our final child's wedding is our last perfect storm to showcase and enjoy our wine cellar selections, one we've been preparing for for literally three decades. Indeed, our collection of 1990 vintage bottles of wine spans no less than 195 bottles from 65 different labels. 

A complication or added dimension to this whole concept and philosophy is that the bride is from a different vintage/birthyear. Hence, if we add the 1991 vintage to the inventory search of our cellar collection, we add another 42 bottles from 16 different labels. Of course, we did not anticipate and plan for this in our collecting over the decades, it just happens that we have these in our collection. 

So, for the festivities, there are numerous story lines, themes and approaches to how we will serve these wines. Non super wine geeks may tune out at this point and move on to the next blogpost. 

Birthyear / vintage highlights: I've written in these pages about the vintages of the birthyears of our kids, and how the 1990 vintage, birthyear of son Alec was extraordinary, one of the best of the century and perhaps in history. Not only were there three Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 wines from this vintage, three years in a row, but they hailed from three different disparate regions of the Old and New world, France, US Napa Valley, and Australia. All three were spectacular wines from ultra-premium absolute premier legendary labels:

Chateau Grand Vin Latour Pauillac Bordeaux 1990 - Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 Wine of the Year for 1993

Moreover, for this vintage, nine of the Top Ten Wines of the year were from the 1990 vintage. 

Caymus Special Select Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvigon 1990 - Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 Wine of the Year for 1994

Penfold's Grange (Hermitage) Shiraz 1990 - Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 Wine of the Year for 1995

So, if you had a child born in 1990 and wanted to collect special birth year wines to enjoy sometime in the future, it was easy to do, or hard to go wrong.  We got lucky and were blessed in so many respects, this being but another one. We'll have the luxury of tasting each of these wines this weekend. Watch for our tasting experiences.

The second dimension, the bride/groom's birthyear. In our case, our son's fiance, Vivianna was born a year later, in the following year, the next vintage, so to speak. Here I got lucky, I already had picked up the Caymus Special Select 1990 and 1991. The #2 wine in 1995 was, alas, Caymus Special Select 1991. That turns out to be the premier finest label selection from the vintage, during this era. Bingo! The other 1991 vintage labels from this period in the top tens were FLORA SPRINGS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 1991 and CROFT Vintage Port 1991. I happened to have also picked up the Flora Springs Napa Cab 1990 and 1991 over the years, so we have another perfect pairing for the betrothed couple. And we'll serve vintage ports collected from the vintage as well.  

Watch this space as we open and enjoy these vintage select special bottles as part of our celebrations. 

The next dimension of our celebrations is large format bottles. We have a collection of large format bottles from the vintage that we'll serve this weekend, and on special occasions in the future. This includes four six liter Imperials, and numerous Magnums of select wines. Watch for these as they are presented and served as part of our family and friends celebrations.  

Lastly, as you have seen in these pages, we have fun with various labels and producers based on numerous criteria. One example is namesake labels, wines sharing names of our family or friends. One of our favorite such producers and labels is Alec's Blend by Napa Valley Lewis Cellars. This is one of our namesake labels for the groom, Alec. Watch as we serve a decade vertical of vintages of Alec's Blend Napa Valley Red Wine this weekend.  

Lastly, we also have find with labels in other ways. Watch for how "V" (for Vivianna) becomes centerpiece of some of our wine selections this weekend as well! 

 

 

One other factor in a horizontal collection (a collection of multiple wines from the same vintage) of a particular vintage, is the intersection with a vertical collection, where we hold a series of vintages of the same label. In this case, there are a number of labels where we have collected a series of vintages including each of the birthyears of our four kids, and in many cases, now, also the birthyear vintages of our grandkids. This allows for comparison tastings of a particular label from different vintages seeing how the wine ages over time and how it compares in different vintage harvests. A top vertical collection will invariably also include top rated years as well, as standard bearers and benchmarks for comparison. There are a dozen or more labels where we hold such vertical collections that include key vintages including, of course, birthyears and anniversaries. Many of these are the basis for our studies into the producers' and their histories, estate vineyards and their terroir, and contributing producers' winemakers and consultants. 

 

These pages are filled with references and features of our visits to producer estate wineries and vineyards where we hold deep vertical collections of such wines. Our visit to Bordeaux last year featured tours of estates of which we hold extensive collections spanning several decades - Château Ducru Beaucaillou, Léoville Las Cases, Château Gruaud-Larose and Pichon Lalande, for example. 

 

Lastly, a wine flight over the course of a dinner can include champagne, white wine, multiple red wines matched to food pairings, a dessert wine and an after dinner port or aperitif.  Watch how many different wines or wine types we can present from multiple (large) formats or vintage year releases over the course of a dinner or multiple events.

The 1994 Top 10
Rank	Wine	Score	Price
#1	CAYMUS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection 1990	98	$75
#2	E. GUIGAL Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 1990	98	$135
#3	FLORA SPRINGS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 1991	97	$33
#4	LEONETTI Merlot Washington 1992	96	$25
#5	FERRARI-CARANO Chardonnay Alexander Valley 1992	93	$20
#6	DOMAINE ZIND-HUMBRECHT Gewürztraminer Alsace Grand Cru Goldert Vendange Tardive 1990	96	$45
#7	LUCIANO SANDRONE Barolo Cannubi Boschis 1990	96	$46
#8	JEAN-LOUIS CHAVE Hermitage 1990	96	$63
#9	CROFT Vintage Port 1991	94	$32
#10	RIDGE Zinfandel Sonoma Valley Pagani Ranch Late Picked 1992	93	$16

 

#1

CAYMUS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection 1990

98

$75

The 1994 Top 10
Rank	Wine	Score
#1	CAYMUS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection 1990	98
#2	E. GUIGAL Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 1990	98
#3	FLORA SPRINGS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 1991	97

The Top 10 Wines of 1993

Wine	Score	Price*
1. CHÂTEAU LATOUR Pauillac 1990	100	$80
2. GAJA Barolo Sperss 1989	96	$60
3. SILVERADO VINEYARDS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Limited Reserve 1990	97	$40
4. CHÂTEAU LA LOUVIÈRE Pessac-Léognan 1990	94	$22
5. LOUIS LATOUR Corton-Charlemagne 1990	95	$83
6. CHÂTEAU PICHON-LONGUEVILLE-LALANDE Pauillac 1990	97	$40
7. MOUNT VEEDER Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1990	94	$15
8. TENUTA DELL'ORNELLAIA Ornellaia 1990	96	$42
9. CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE St.-Julien 1990	95	$26
10. CHÂTEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 1990

 The 1995 Top 10

Rank	Wine	Score	Price
#1	PENFOLDS Shiraz South Australia Grange 1990	97	$100
#2	CAYMUS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection 1991	99	$100
#3	THE HESS COLLECTION Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1992	94	$18
#4	FONSECA Vintage Port 1992	96	$45
#5	COMTE GEORGES DE VOGÜÉ Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 1993	96	$140
#6	ZACA MESA Syrah Santa Barbara County Zaca Vineyards 1993	94	$13
#7	CAMPOGIOVANNI Brunello di Montalcino 1990	95	$43
#8	KISTLER Chardonnay Sonoma Valley Kistler Vineyard 1992	94	$40
#9	BERINGER Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Private Reserve 1992	95	$45
#10	TRIMBACH Riesling Alsace Cuvée Frédéric Emile 1990	96	$27

Goldschmidt Hilary Napa Oakville Charming Creek Cabernet

Goldschmidt Hilary Napa Valley Oakville Charming Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 

We hosted wine buddy, fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan and Linda for a wine dinner. We came across this label, Oakville, single vineyard designated Napa Cabernet, namesake to Dan's daughter, so we picked it up for the occasion. 

On further investigation of this label we learn it is the product of Yolyn and Nick Goldschmidt,  owner/vintners, with Nick, the winemaker. Hailing from New Zealand, Yolyn and Nick have spent time living and working in the wine areas of New Zealand, Australia and South America. They operate out of winery offices in Healdsburg from where they operate Goldschmidt Vineyards, a "'vehicle' by which Nick and Yolyn present their innovative way of wine making and wine presentation. There are two brands under their portfolio – the prestigious Goldschmidt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon label, and the international Forefathers label', according to their website'.

"The Goldschmidt Vineyard label is a program designed to showcase single vineyard source wines from both the Alexander Valley and Napa Valley Oakville appellations. The goal is to create wines that highlight the distinct characters, benefits and attributes derived from these site specific harvests. Goldschmidt Vineyards Cabernets are crafted with the best possible resources to achieve exceptional richness, quality and balance – the hallmarks of world-class wines."

I deduce they are negociants, of sorts, procuring excess fruit from numerous sources and crafting their own wines under their own series of private labels. Several of the wines are  named for their children, which they furthr explain that, "Joined periodically in the field by their five children, the Goldschmidt expertise is being passed down to the next generation, as evidenced in the wines released under the labels Chelsea Goldschmidt, Hilary Goldschmidt and Katherine Goldschmidt."

This label is sourced from the Oakville district in Napa Valley, so it was a fitting comparison to the Plumpjack Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon that we also served this evening. 

Goldschmidt describes the Oakville appellation, "where the coolness of the south meets up-valley warmth in perfect equilibrium. Oakville isn’t too hot; it isn’t too cold. It’s just right. That’s why Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville so perfectly expresses the essential qualities of the varietal in deep, complex wines that can last for decades."

They attribute the source for this label is "Charming Creek, located on Route 29 just north of Oakville Cross Rd. One retailer says of this label, "this particular Oakville Cabernet comes from a secret vineyard that borders OPUS ONE on the North Side…  Sounds expensive right?  Fortunately for us, this one was created by Nick Goldschmidt whom many of you recognize from his Crazy Creek Cabernet which is arguably the best value in California Cabernet."

I admit, I came across this at Cosco, which further leads me to believe it is a negociant sourced 'excess fruit or bulk wine' produced, packaged and sold under private label. As I have often written in these pages, the challenge with such labels is that they often are the 'second' picking or are composed of fruit not selected for the primary label. And, they're one-time wonders, not subject to long term contracts, hence any concept of terroir is a one time chance encounter. For a collector, don't fall in love with it because you may never see it again, or not in a string of continuous releases. If it proves to be that good, it'll end up back in the grand vin.

On the other hand, these labels often provide great QPR - quality price ratio, available at times for a fraction of the grand vin price. Hence, they're typically anonymized by the private label and the source is obfuscated so as not to diminish the primary source's brand and price point, as indicated by this retailer referring to the 'secret' vineyard. While under such circumstances, once in a while you get a sixty dollar wine for forty bucks, in this case, I think one got a thirty dollar wine for that price-point.

Alas, this was characteristically, lesser fruit and a lesser effort, belaying the potentially premium or ultra-premium source. Even if they reproduce in next year in a follow on vintage, I won't hold my breath for it to be memorable, or even a significant QPR value. 

Goldschmidt Hillary Napa Valley Oakville Charming Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 

Winemakers' notes: "The old Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon vines here give perfumed aromatics but also silkiness, deep color, power and richness. Also typical of Clone 7, the wines age very gracefully and show good acidity and structure when older. After 10 years this vineyard will still show dark fruits and supple tannins."

"Tasting Note: Deep garnet-purple; concentrated aromas of chocolate and black cherry alongside notes of cinnamon and hazelnut. The entry of this wine is juicy with a silky-smooth texture that builds through the mid-palate. Blackberry and black current flavors are supported with well-integrated oak. Nicely balanced and shows the fresh acidity on the finish that Oakville is known for."

Dark garnet purple colored, medium bodied, straightforward black berry fruits with note of mocha, cinnamon and hazelnut with bright acidity that seemed a bit flabby and obtuse on the finish. 

RM 87 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3122527

https://goldschmidtvineyards.com/wines/united-states/hilary-goldschmidt/

Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet - Seasmoke Chardonnay - Paul Misset Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes

Plumpjack Founders Reserve Napa Cabernet - Seasmoke Chardonnay -
Paul Misset Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru

Fellow Pour Boy, wine buddy, Dr Dan and Linda came over for a wine dinner evening and I pulled from the cellar this vintage release Premium Napa Cabernet for the occasion. We tasted and acquired this wine during a visit to the Plumpjack estate on Oakville Crossing Road in central Napa Valley back in 1999. During that trip we hosted several winemaker dinners including one at Meadowood Resort featuring Mary Pisor, then winemaker for Plumpjack (below). We also visited Nils Venge Saddleback Vineyards who was consulting winemaker to Plumpjack in the early years. 

PlumpJack, in Oakville, was founded by Gordon Getty, the San Francisco composer and philanthropist, and Gavin Newsom, Governor of California back when he was mayor of San Francisco. 

The entrepreneurs initially opened a wine shop in San Francisco in 1992 called PlumpJack, a reference to Shakespeare’s character Sir John Falstaff, who enjoyed food and wine. The partners then founded PlumpJack winery in 1997 when they acquired 53 acres of vineyards on Oakville Cross Road. 

The PlumpJack Group expanded investment holdings in to resorts, hotels, restaurants and spas. 

Governor Newsom's father, Bill, was a lifelong friend of Gordon Getty, the son of oil magnate J. Paul Getty going back to their early years when they attended high school together. Bill Newsom later managed the Getty family trust on behalf of Gordon, estimated by Forbes to be worth more than $2 billion in 2018. Bill Newsom was so close with the family that he helped deliver the ransom money after the  famous 1973 kidnapping of J. Paul Getty’s grandson, John Paul Getty III. The Gettys’ have been instrumental patrons and supporters of Newsom and have played an important role in Gavin Newsom’s personal, professional and political life.

Plumpjack winery specializes in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, though it also makes Merlot, Chardonnay and a Syrah. Robert M. Parker Jr. notes that all the PlumpJack wines “are fabulous, thanks to the brilliant efforts of winemaker Tony Biagi and consultant Nils Venge.” 

Interestingly, a bit of wine world trivia: PlumpJack was the first Napa Valley producer to use screw caps in the packaging in 2000, starting with the their high end Founders Reserve flagship premium label. 

The PlumpJack estate winery and vineyards sit in the heart of Napa Valley’s renowned Oakville Appellation (AVA), surrounded by the 42-acre estate vineyard which has become highly regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The winery building and the vineyard date back to the 1800s, when winemaking pioneers first took advantage of a unique position on the valley floor. The east side of the vineyard lies along the foothills of the Vaca mountain range and yields grapes with the kind of bold fruit character that comes from well-draining hillside soils. The western boundary of the estate lies in the Napa River flood zone. Here the vines take root in rich, deep clay soils, for grapes with softer, more supple varietal character. 

Oakville AVA is one of the two or three most prestigious appellations in the United States. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, it consists of 5,000 vineyard acres that produce some of the world’s most acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon, including such California “cult” Cabs such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate. 

Even before those boutique producers rose to fame in the 1990s, Oakville was already renowned as home to Robert Mondavi, Opus One and Groth Vineyards, among others. Along with the famous wineries, there are premier vineyards in the AVA, including Martha’s Vineyard and To Kalon Vineyard. To Kalon was first planted in 1868 by H.W. Crabb, one of California’s first viticultural researchers. He named the vineyard after the ancient Greek phrase for “most beautiful.” 

The Oakville appellation is ideal and favorable to the Bordeaux varietals and is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon, however Merlot, and white varietals Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also frequently planted. Oakville Cabernets are noted for their richness, complexity and weight. 

Oakville was designated as an AVA in 1993.  

We visited the Plumpjack Oakville Estate vineyards and winery again during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018 (below).

We served a  flight of artisan cheeses including Old Amsterdam, English Shropshire Blue, and Delice Borgnogne Brie, now available and distributed by none other than Murray's Cheese from NYC Greenwich Village Bleaker Street. 

From his cellar, Dan brought a Burgundy and Chardonnay which were ideal with the cheese and then salad course and the transition to the beefsteak dinner entree.  

SeaSmoke Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2013

Dr Dan brought from his cellar this limited production highly allocated estate Seasmoke Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay. He is in their wineclub and receives this label as part of his allocation. 

This release got 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 92 points from Wine Enthusiast.

This was wonderful, ideal with the artisan cheeses before dinner.

Golden colored, medium-full bodied, rich, warm nicely integrated white peach, stone and citrus fruits with layers of floral, buttery oak and slate minerality with nice balance of oak and acid on the full mouthfeel lingering finish. Wine Enthusiast describes "its touching intriguingly on sweet Maui onion and finishing with light vanilla-custard flavor".

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2044704

https://www.seasmoke.com/ 

Domaine Paul Misset Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru 2009

This was an ideal transition from the cheese and salad to the beefsteak entrees. 

As I often write in these pages, I am not a pinot guy, and hence probably don't give this the reverence or appreciation that it deserves. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, tangy black cherry and red berry fruits with notes of perfume, dusty rose, asian spice and hints of pomegranate on a lingering finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1462329

Linda prepared grilled rib-eye beefsteaks with baked potatoes, an ideal pairing for the aged Oakville Cabernet. Dinner was preceded by Ceasar salad and followed by Linda's signature chocolate mousse with notes of expresso served with fresh berries. 

Plumpjack Founders Reserve Napa Cabernet 1996

Linda and I visited the Plumpjack estate and winery during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. We tasted the current release of this label and they had on offer this vintage release in the library, available for the asking. 

At twenty five years, the wine fill level, bottle foil capsule, label and cork were in pristine condition, further testament to the ideal conditions in our cellar for long term aging, having held this bottle since acquisition on release. 

Dark inky purple colored, medium-full bodied, at twenty five years the fruits are somewhat subdued with the blackberry giving way to notes of cassis, hints of creosote and smoke with a moderate acid firm but smooth tannin laced lingering finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=23912

https://plumpjackwinery.com/

https://twitter.com/plumpjackwinery

@PlumpJackWinery

 

Aged Birthyear Vintage Bottle Tasting Continues

 Aged Birthyear Vintage Bottle Tasting Continues

As we wind down the celebrations from son Sean's wedding, we still hold a significant number of bottles from his birthyear vintage. So it was, as we traveled to Florida with friends and family to pay tribute to a dear friend lost in a tragic accident this week, we took a couple special bottles in tribute and remembrance with gathered family and friends.

Gathering in the hotel on the eve of somber events, we opened another 1985 vintage bottle for the wedding celebrants. With fellow wine buddy Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth we opened a Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard Napa Cabernet. This is a producer that Bill has collected for decades and knows exceedingly well. Together we have shared and compared these labels over the years - my collection centering on the Bosche single vineyard designated label, while Bill tended to collect the Sycamore vineyard designated label from the same producer. 

The Sycamore Vineyard is located about 1.5 miles south of Bosché, also nestled up to the western Mayacamas hills. The soil is quite different in that it is more of a gravelly clay loam. The wines from Sycamore vineyard tend to be very dark in color with rich briary blackcurrant and blackberry flavors, a profile and style that Bill favors.

Bosche Vineyard-Rutherford is a small 22-acre vineyard located west of Hwy. 29, on the famed Rutherford Bench, the Bosche Vineyard. It is actually owned by the Bosche family and sourced grapes to Freemark Abbey under a cooperation agreement dating back to 1970. 

Bosche is known to consistently produce rich concentrated fruit. It is composed of very deep, gravelly loam soil. Early on in the growing season the water table is high (about 5 feet below the surface) and provides the water and nutrients for new shoot growth. As the growing season progresses, the water table drops below the root zone, causing a natural stress cycle for the vine to change its course of growth and focus resources into ripening the fruit, intensifying the dark, concentrated flavors.

Bill and Beth and Linda and I have visited the winery together and acquired bottles from the library collection there for special occasions. In 2009 we toured the library and acquired 1974 and 1978 vintage labels for a an anniversary celebration dinner that night across the road at the CIA.

Freemark Abbey's winemaker is the legendary Ted Edwards, who earned an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Food, Science and Engineering from University of California-Davis. Edwards began his wine career when he was hired by Freemark Abbey to work on the bottling line in 1980. After two harvests, he left to become the Associate Winemaker at Rutherford Hill, a position he held for three years. He returned to Freemark Abbey in 1985 when he assumed the position of Director of Winemaking.

Edwards crafted Freemark Abbey Cabernets in a style not as blockbuster, over-the-top wines designed to “wow” you, but rather, elegantly styled, sometimes even subdued offerings that are emphasize varietal purity over power. Freemark Abbey, which dates back to 1886. It was purchased in 1967 by seven business partners who renovated the property and accumulated nearly 300 acres of vineyards They also sourceed grapes from some of the areas most acclaimed districts including the Rutherford Bench, Mount Veeder and Howell Mountain and of course the famed Sycamore and Bosche vineyards.

Freemark Abbey was purchased in 2006 by Jackson Family Vineyards (owners of several Calfornia properties including Lakoya and La Jota in Napa, and Hartford Family Winery and Matanzas Creek in Sonoma). 

In April, 2020, Ted Edwards, winemaker since 1985 and the face of Freemark Abbey in the modern era, become Winemaker Emeritus, and turned attention to work more in the vineyards, while passing the winemaking torch to his former assistant, Kristy Melton.

Another connection of this label is that at the time, back in the early nineties, it was a meeting with proprietor and partner/owner vineyardist William Jaeger, whom I met at a Freemark Abbey tasting that I tasted and acquired the Bosche label. During that meeting. William and I discussed our collection of large format birthyear bottles and from that meeting, William arranged to provide me a couple large format bottles from our kids' birthyears. It was one of those bottles, Rutherford Hill Napa Cabernet that we served last weekend at the wedding rehearsal dinner. 

The connection to Bill's cellar also exists as I believe we traded this vintage release Bosche for a non-birthyear vintage bottle in obtaining this bottle. In any event, I also hold at least one more bottle from this vintage release. So, it was with interest we opened this to determine the drinkability of not only this bottle, but others still in our collection. 

In preparation for this tasting, Linda and I visited the Gourmet Market in Boca Raton and acquired some authentic French artisan cheese and french bread to accompany the wine. 

Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

Amazing life left in this thirty-five year old. The fill level was as to be expected, the label was near perfect, the capsule aged and slightly soiled. The cork was in amazing shape, near perfect, still intact with full integrity. 

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant fruits of ripe plum, black currant and black cherry with bright pronounced acids, subtle notes of cassis, ash and hints of wood on a tangy lingering finish. While obviously passed its prime, it was still drinkable and enjoyable and while I don't feel rushed to consume the remaining bottle, it should be consumed in the near term, within the next year.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=30977

Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Following the serving of this label in a vintage birthyear release in a large format bottle, I picked up the current release to taste and compare. We served this label from the 1985 vintage in a six liter bottle at son Sean's wedding rehearsal dinner celebration two weeks ago. Then, last night we opened the same 1985 birthyear vintage bottle of Freemark Abbey which shared the same winemaker during that era. I wrote about the history of the two labels in blogspot features of those two tastings.

So with that backdrop, I picked up this current vintage release to compare and enjoy with carry out pizza for dinner in our hotel room.

The label interestingly notes Napa Valley Appellations (plural) to accentuate the point it is all sourced from Napa Valley, but multiple sites across the region. Rules dictate to say so, 75% of the juice in the bottle needs to be sourced from Napa Valley (appellations). In any event, this is the standard entry level Napa Cab for this producer. 

Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

This was an ideal pizza wine with its vibrant forward fruits. 

Winemaker's notes: "This ripe, sleek, elegant wine is carefully crafted then properly cave aged in French oak within one of the most extensive natural cave systems in North America, providing the ideal temperature and humidity throughout the aging process. This wine exhibits intricate and intense flavors of dark plum and cassis, with a thread of spices. Lush in texture, with velvety tannins." 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex aromas of dark fruit, black currant, blackberries, & blueberries, layered with notes of cassis, herbs, anise, and spices, hints of cedar, spice and cola with nice texture and rich tannins on the lingering finish.  

RM 91 points.

https://www.rutherfordhill.com/product/rutherford-hill-cabernet-sauvignon-2015 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2929932

Spectacular Wine Cheese Pairing featuring Cliff Lede Poetry 2004

Spectacular Wine Cheese Pairing featuring Cliff Lede Poetry 2004

With fellow Pour Boy and wine buddy Bill C in South Florida for the weekend, we visited the Wine Room Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar in Delray Beach for a special wine tasting experience. We discovered the Wine Room Kitchen and Cheese Bar earlier this year and were eager to return and share the experience with a wine buddy when we returned to the area. 

As featured in these pages last winter, the Wine Room Kitchen have an extensive wine selection BTG - by the glass, and wine list and cellar collection available for near retail costs, below
what a traditional restaurant might charge. They also offer an extensive cheese and charcuterie selection.

The wine list and cellar features a broad selection of first growth Bordeaux including Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, and Super Second labels such as Ducru Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases and Pichon Lalande. They also feature premium and super premium Napa Cabernets including Diamond Creek, and this label, Cliff Lede Poetry. 

We opted to taste the Poetry as Bill and son Ryan are both club members and have extensive Lede collections. We've visited the Lede Estate on several occasions including a private tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2009. 

Poetry is the flagship label of the Cliff Lede portfolio, selected from the best parcels of the vintage, the best fruit from select vineyards. The label is produced in limited quantities, and only in years when the quality of the fruit and resulting wine are exceptional. It is sourced primarily from the steep hillside terraces of the Lede Estate Poetry Vineyard on the edge of the valley overlooking the Lede Estate across the Silverado Trail on the valley floor.

The Poetry Vineyard is the easternmost of our two estate Stags Leap District vineyards, located near the winery and the Twin Peaks estate vineyard. The vineyard sits on a steep west-facing high-exposure hillside below the luxurious Poetry Inn. The vineyard reaches from the highest elevation of the Stags Leap District Appellation down to the foothills near and almost to the valley floor. The terroir of the vineyard is a combination of shallow soils atop fractured shales and low-yielding old vines of Cabernet Sauvignon. The sloping hill provides for superb drainage and optimal sun exposure.

In 2004, 680 cases were produced in a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Our tasting experience was highlighted by a wonderful, perfect wine and cheese pairing with Délice de Bourgogne, a French classic triple crème cheese made by producer Fromagerie Lincet in the Burgundy region of France where the company factory is located. 

We also paired it with Bayley Hazen Blue, a buttery, natural-rinded blue cheese made from high-quality whole raw cow's milk produced by Jasper Hill Farm, named after an old military road commissioned by George Washington across the Northeast Kingdom. 

Brothers Andy and Mateo Kehler who own the farm, developed the recipe for Bayley Hazen Blue by altering the shape and ageing process of a Devon Blue recipe from England so that the cheese rind will hold up in usual retail conditions. 

Cliff Lede "Poetry" Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 96 points, Wine Spectator 94 points.

This wine was superb, dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, elegant, polished and balanced, nearly flawless concentrated blackberry and black currant fruits with a symphony of seamlessly integrated flavor notes of mocha chocolate, vanilla, hints of licorice, violet, spice, tobacco leaf and black olive, turning to smooth velvety mouthfeel and silky tannins on a long sensual finish. 

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=229262

https://cliffledevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/CliffLedeWine

@CliffLedeWine  

 The girls joined us and we selected a Pride Sonoma County Syrah to taste alongside the cheese, charcuterie and delicious tomato basil soup. 

Pride Mountain Sonoma County Syrah 2013

The Pride Mountain Vineyards Estate, winery and vineyards sits high above St Helena atop Spring Mountain at the summit of the Mayacamas Range between Napa Valley to the east and Sonoma Valley to the west. 

We visited the estate during our Napa Wine Experience back in 1998.

The Sonoma County Syrah is selected from north-facing cooler slopes on the western side of the range, hence it is Sonoma, not Napa from the eastern side of the mountain. 

Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, intense, concentrated, nicely balanced blackberry with notes of blueberry, black olive, black pepper, chocolate, spice and hints of mushroom and lavender, dry with high acidity, moderate fine grained tannins on a long flavorful finish.

RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2070912

https://www.pridewines.com/

https://twitter.com/pridewines 

@pridewines

Jayson (Pahlmeyer) Proprietary Red 2016

Jayson (Pahlmeyer) Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2016

 

Visiting dear friends Bob and Gloria in So-FLA to console them in a tragic loss, we took this bottle in a respectful tribute to their departed son Jason. We've long collected this wine in commemoration of Jason, but expected it would be for some appropriate joyous celebration occasion. Regretably, we consumed this under very different circumstances, but want to share it with dear friends and gathered family. 

We last tasted this wine with Bob and Gloria during our visit back in March, our last getaway or outing prior to the Coronavirus shut-in. We took a 2004 vintage release of this label from our cellar for that visit.

This is Bordeaux blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot, sourced from Napa Valley estate and contract grower sources. It was aged in 22% for fifteen months in New French Oak barrels, then bottled with minimal fining and filtration.

 

The flagship Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Cabernet for this vintage was highly rated receiving 97 points from Vinous, 96 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, James Suckling and Jeb Dunnuck, and 94 points from Wine Spectator. The Jayson blend shares some of the same cabernet fruit ias the flagship, albeit the most select lots are used in the premium label.

Jayson (Pahlmeyer) Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2016

 

This was spectacular, bright garnet colored, medium full bodied, thick concentrated but nicely balanced and integrated black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of bittersweet chocolate, spicy oak, hints of cedar and subtle licorice with full but smooth tannins on a long finish. 

 

RM 93 points.  

https://www.pahlmeyer.com/wines/jayson/jayson-red/2016/

 https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/11/pahlmeyer-jason-napa-valley-red-wine.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=296642

https://www.pahlmeyer.com/

https://twitter.com/Pahlmeyer 

@Pahlmeyer

 

Big Bottle Birthyear mania for Wedding Celebration

Our Cellar Collection and Gala Wedding Celebration includes Large Format Birthyear Vintage Wines

The large format big bottle mania continues for Sean and Michelle's wedding celebration weekend, we opened several birthyear vintage wines we have collected and were saving in our cellar for just such an occasion. We opened a six liter Imperial Napa Cabernet the night before. 

Fortunately, the 1985 vintage produced age-worthy wines suitable for long-term cellaring for thirty-five years. 

People often ask me about the practice of obtaining wines from a particular vintage year. Check vintage charts for your chosen region for your favored wine (s). If that region had a difficult vintage, check the other regions of the world. Chances are you'll find at least one that had favorable age-worthy harvests suitable for collecting.

My fixation on collecting birthyear wines for our children, and now grandchildren is evident in the cellar statistics - for just the 1985 vintage year, we hold 95 bottles in different 39 wines. I believe that is overstated somewhat by the lack of removing bottles consumed over the years. Never-the-less, it reflects the challenge to consume those bottles before they waste away, and offers an opportunity for an extensive, intensive vintage study. 

For the celebration weekend, I pulled the following bottles for a horizontal comparison tasting:

From St Julien Bordeaux,

• Leoville Las Cases 
  
• Ducru Beaucaillou 
• Gruaud Larose, 

Other Bordeaux: 

• Cos d' Estournel St Estephe
  
• Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac
  
• Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc

Others:

• Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
• Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Flora Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Dow Vintage Port
• Warre's Vintage Port

For the reasons noted, we will hold the following bottles for future tastings:

We hold vertical collections of these labels hence an opportunity for a broader tasting: Chateau Palmer and Silver Oak. this includes a collection of magnums for each of our four kids' vintage birthyears. 

Amazingly, several labels have projected tasting windows for further aging and consumption several years into the future, hence hold these bottles for an anniversary or baby or other notable celebration tasting. These include, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Dominus Estate Napa, Dunn Vineyards Howell Mtn, Diamond Creek Napa, and Chateaux Lynch Bages,  Pichon Baron and Pichon Lalande. 

We opened these bottles, in large format magnums for tasting at the reception dinner:

• Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc
  
• Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien
  
• Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien
  
• Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 
• Dow Vintage Port

Château Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc 1985

Château Sociando-Mallet is a 225-acre estate in St.-Seurin-de-Cadourne, which is part of the Haut-Medoc appellation just north of the St Estephe appellation, north of the city of Pauillac, Bordeaux. 

The estate is today considered by some reviewers, including Robert M. Parker Jr., to be the jewel of the Haut-Medoc.  Though the estate is unclassified, Parker says the château makes “uncompromising wines of extremely high quality….Sociando-Mallet is easily the equal of many of the classified growths….” 

The vineyards are planted to 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

This release got 92 points from Vinous and 91 points from Wine Spectator.

The label and foil were in good condition, the cork was soft and partially saturated but extracted almost intact using a two pronged cork puller. 

I wrote about this label back in 2010 when we also tasted it from a magnum. At that time I wrote, "Medium bodied - bright lively forward red fruit flavors highlight with hints of raspberry, black cherry, anise and leather on a moderate tannin flavorful finish.Tasted from magnum - lots of life left - no signs of age in this 25 year old. RM 90 points."

Tonight this was dark garnet color, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of black truffle, smoke, black tea with subtle notes of vanilla and tangy spice on a lingering modest tannin finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40950

https://www.sociandomallet.com/en

@Sociando_Mallet

Château Gruaud Larose St Julien Bordeaux 1985

Our visit, tour and tasting at the Gruaud Larose estate was one of the highlights of our tour of St Julien Bordeaux a year ago last month. We hold a horizontal collection of more than a dozen vintages of Gruaud Larose dating back to 1981, daughter Erin's birthyear, and the other kids' birthyears, several including this, Sean's 1985, in large format bottles.

We shared a virtual tour of our visit to Château Gruaud-Larose estate grounds, cellar, chai, library and hospitality center in St Julien from our unwindwine blogpost in these pages. 

This release got 93 points from Wine Spectator,  91 points from  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points from  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Neal Martin from K&L Wine Merchants in the SF Bay Area gave it 92 points. 

Having a reputation for long lived wines, this 1985 Gruaud Larose showed few signs of diminution from aging and seemed to have a few years of life left although it was more closed and less expressive than the other labels. Earlier in the year I wrote it was showing its age - no doubt the difference in aging effects of a small versus large format bottle. At that time I gave it 89 points.

Like the other bottles served tonight, this was also acquired upon release and has been held in our cellar since. The label, foil and fill level were all pristine, in ideal condition. The cork, like the others was a bit soft and partially saturated, but extracted intact with a two pronged cork puller.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid19-shut-in-prompts-curbside.html

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, a bit closed and slightly subdued complex, ripe earthy blackberry and black current fruits with tones of tobacco leaf, truffle, hints of cassis and spice box, turning to slightly tart black cherry on the long floral full tannin laced finish.

RM 89 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid19-shut-in-prompts-curbside.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20848 

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/

 

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1985

Our visit to Château Ducru Beaucaillou in Beychevelle St Julien was one of the highlights of our trip to the Medoc last year. It has long been one of the signature wines that we collected for a horizontal of vintages that includes the birthyears of our four kids including large format bottles of this label and this magnum for the 1985 vintage. 

This release got 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 95 Points from the Zachy's Buying Team from the wine merchant in Scarsdale, NY.

As we have held this bottle in our cellar since release back in the eighties, the bottle label, capsule and fill level were all in near perfect condition. The cork was a bit soft and slightly saturated from the bottom but extracted intact using a Ahso two pronged cork puller. The photo shown here shows the cork after having been reinserted and removed for a tasting of the remains the following day. 

This was dark garnet-colored, medium-full bodied, concentrated, pure, red and black currant fruits with a layer of cedar and notes of  truffle, damp earth, tobacco and cinnamon; a hint of mint with with super firm tannins on a long, silky finish.

RM 91 points.  

The Zachys Buying Team Notes from their trip for the 2014 releases: 

"95 Points, Zachys Buying Team: "We had this wine over dinner while in Bordeaux tasting the 2014s - easily one of the highlights of the entire trip. Perfectly mature and is currently drinking the way Bordeaux was intended to be consumed - with age and enough sweet fruit to complement the tertiary development. This wine is all about elegance, no hard edges, classic St Julien cedar, truffle, and damp earth are joined by tobacco and cinnamon. Tongue-staining, long finish. It is a wine that transports you back to old world style claret, where the wine doesn't clobb er at 12.5% alcohol. It is truly a special treat to have this wine with this provenance and condition."

 
Marilee Bostic, Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and most recently, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in Wines and Spirits (DipWSET), works at The Grape D’Vine, a boutique wine store in Sparkill, New York, writes in her notes of this wine:

"The 1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou still packed a punch with primary aromas and flavors, including cassis, black raspberry, and soft rose petals.  Secondary notes included a layer of vanilla and chocolate mint.  Tertiary notes dominated as this wine was fully mature, with a patina of cherry pipe smoke, damp forest floor, and black truffles.  This wine was dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, pronounced aroma and flavor intensity, medium body, and medium tannins that were velvety-soft.  The finish was no doubt long."  

 

I wrote about this wine earlier this year and gave it 93 points, when I wrote; "Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, muted aromas on the nose but elegant, balanced and full flavored, bright and expressive on the palate with black currant fruits accented by sensuous floral, cedar, tobacco leaf, hints of damp earth with super firm tannins and a long, silky finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/01/ducru-beaucaillou-birthyear-vintage.html

Last year, in anticipation of our visit to the Chateau, we opened this label when I wrote; "Dark garnet-colored, medium- to full-bodied, Parker describes it as "a wine of extraordinary charm and elegance", a floral, cedary nose with red and black currants, plum, notes of spice and cassis, firm tannins on a long, smooth silky finish. Still has some years left but assuredly not likely to improve with further aging."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/chateau-ducru-beaucaillou-1989-1985.htm

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=17635

www.chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com

@DucruB

 

 

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Bordeaux 1985

 

We visited the estate and walked the vineyards and grounds during our visit to the Medoc last year.  This was the BOTN - best-of-the-night, showing the greatest balance, elegance and complexity with nicely integrated fruits and flavors.

This label has been my favorite of many tastings occasions and continues to be one of my perennial favorites and has more often than not surprised us with its longevity and aging potential. 

 

This release got 93 points from John Gilman and 92 points from Wine Spectator.

 

John Gilman writes, "The 1985 has aged quite beautifully and is now drinking with great style and grace. The bouquet is a superb blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee, cigar wrapper, a dollop of fresh herbs, gravel, black tea and toasty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and beautifully complex, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, melted tannins and fine length and grip on the very classy finish. This is not a powerful vintage of Pichon, but it is an utterly complete one!"

 

This was also served from a magnum. 

 

While this bottle was also acquired upon release and has laid in our cellar magnum rack adjacent the other bottles, the label was soiled and had completely detached from the bottle. The capsule was rather deteriorated but the cork, while slightly soft and partially saturated, extracted intact using a two pronged cork puller. 

This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex, elegant and polished with nicely integrated black berry and black currant fruits accented by notes of cassis, black tea, coffee hints of spice and earth with a long smooth tannin laced polished finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1779

http://www.pichon-comtesse.com/

@PichonComtesse

Dow's Vintage Port 1985 

For after dinner sipping and to close out our vertical tasting of 1985 wines for the evening, we opened this 1985 Vintage Port. 

We hold in our cellar several cases of Vintage Port wines but only from a few select vintages, mostly birthyears of our children, and classic Vintage Port vintage years. Note that only in years with an acceptable harvest that they declare it a Vintage year and release vintage designated release wines. 

Son Sean's birthyear 1985 was such a year, hence there are 1985 vintage release ports available. Such wines are notably ageworthy for long term cellaring, hence popular collectables for cellaring and holding for special occasions - classic 'special occasion' wine! 

Note that one should ensure they have an appropriate place with temperature and humidity consistency to cellar and store wine before investing in buying bottles to cellar for an extended period of time.

This wine got 93 points from James Suckling and Vinous and 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

This is classic Vintage Port, what one is supposed to taste like. Naturally, in its 35th year, we see the ageability of such a wine and the art of the possible, or what is to be expected when properly cellared. Too often, if consumed too early, they will present a medicinal or 'hot' alcohol tones until they have integrated, smoothed and settled. 

Dark black garnet colored, medium bodied, aromas of walnuts, dried fruit and fig/raisins, rich concentrated black and red-berry and ripe plum fruits nicely integrated with layers of clove spice, anise liquorice, notes of raisin, creosote and leather with a smooth long lingering clean silky smooth tongue coating finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1897

Big Bottle highlights celebration dinner

 Big Bottle highlights celebration dinner     

The festivities of the gala wedding of son Sean and Michelle kicked off with the traditional rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We hosted the dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria, featured so often in these pages. Tony Angeli and Linda crafted a special menu for our group and coordinated the wine service to incorporate a special birth-year large format bottle from our collection we've been holding for the occasion. Due to Coronavirus restrictions, the dinner was held outside in a tent set up in front of Angelis storefront.

 

Back in the early nineties, Napa Valley winery owner Jeff Jaeger visited Naperville and conducted a wine tasting of Freemark Abbey wines. In addition to Freemark, his wine holdings included a stake in Rutherford Hill and Jaegar. I recall that from that tasting I acquired a case of then just-released Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard Napa Cab. 

Jeff and I discussed my collection of large format bottles from birthyear vintages of our kids. From that discussion Jeff arranged sourcing a six liter imperial Rutherford Hill Napa Cab from son Sean's 1985 birth-year vintage. That bottle has been held in our cellar ever since in anticipation of tonight. He also sourced a six liter 1981 release of Rutherford Hill and Jaeger Vineyards Cabernet that we served at daughter Erin's wedding back in 2006.

Any time one opens a thirty-five year old bottle of wine, there is the chance the wine is not suitable for drinking, or serving to guests and a special gala dinner. Chances of disappointment or success are relative to the reputation and heritage of the producer and specific label, that years' vintage, the provenance of the wine (how it has been handled and stored), and the format of the bottle. 

The reason bottle size or format matters is that in larger format bottles, there is a greater critical mass of liquid to stabilize the wine and for the chemistry of the wine to take effect and age or evolve over time. The other reason is that in the larger vessel, there is less surface area of wine to air exposure, reducing the chance of contamination or unfavorable effects on the wine from the air wine interaction. 

Tonight, we opened the six-liter Imperial Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 1985. In the event the bottle was not suitable for serving to a group, I had on hand back-up bottles to serve. 

Rutherford Hill has a 60-acre estate vineyard in the Rutherford appellation of Napa Valley. It also leases 130 acres and sources grapes from the Napa Valley. Founded in 1972, the estate was purchased in 1996 by the Anthony Terlato group, an importer of European wines based here in Chicago. 

Today the Terlato family owns six California wineries including Alderbrook, Sanford and Chimney Rock. Even before the Terlatos' acquisition the estate focused on Merlot. Besides Merlot the estate produced Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and blends.  

Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Imperial

The bottle, label, foil and cork were in ideal condition, remarkable for a thirty-five year old. The oversize cork was starting to get slightly soft but extracted in-tact with a traditional screw. 

I suspect a normal size bottle would not have been so well preserved in all respects but the large format allowed for this be presentable after thirty-five years.

Initially funky with musty notes that eventually wore off to a delightful mix of black cherry, currant and black berry fruits emerging with medium full body, nice balance and integration of notes of earth, leather, hints of cassis and cigar box with soft smooth acidity with moderate tannins on the tangy finish. 

RM 89 points. 

Other Cellartracker's and a Snooth's reviews of this label from the 2012 era:

 Nose of currant, cranberry, pomegranate and cigar box/cedar. Dusty palate. Dusty red berry fruit. It's still surprisingly luscious and pretty with good balance and structure. 91 pts. 5/26/12

P&P. Cork was slightly depressed, but pulled out easily with about 1/3 soaked through, while still looking new. Funky nose of damp earth, worn leather, and slight hints of mint. Holy wow, this wine is alive on the palate, and it's dark. Still showing dark fruits and currants, lots of minerals, more leather, into a resolved tannin and slightly chalky finish. Delicious snd fresh. Glad I have 2 more bottles left, this was an excellent treat at the $18 tariff...surprise qpr of the year? (91 pts.)

Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/rutherford-hill-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley-1985/#ixzz6XAkCe9xh

 
2/26/2012 - NWA wrote: 92 Points

Still in good shape. The color has remained rich and inky when looking into the glass, though rusty around the rim. Nose shows age, but as it opened revealed stewed berries/compote and dried cherries. I am very surprised how well this bottle has aged.

11/30/2012 - Cellarhead wrote: 90 Points

This appears to have good provenance, still showing a noticeable amount of fruit. Best '85 bottle I've had in memory, aside from any Ports.

7/18/2015 - winchester-xi Likes this wine:

Quite the pleasant surprise. A melange of cherries and forest floor with a powerful medicinal note in the background. Plenty of acid. Moderate density and moderate length. Really no tannin left, so it comes down to how long the fruit will hold out. There's no reason to wait, but it has held out for quite a while so far....

12/23/2012 - ecola Likes this wine: 91 Points

Remarkably smooth with red berries and the acidity is hanging on. Dry finish with rounded tannins. Might make it until age 30.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2322811

Chateau St Michelle 50th Anniversary Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

We picked up all the available bottles of this special tribute bottling upon release as we knew we would serve them on special occasions such as this. 

This was the 50th Anniversary Special commemorative bottling of this wine. 

This is a Bordeaux Blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Syrah, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot 

Winemaker Notes: "We craft our Columbia Valley Cabernet to highlight concentrated Washington red fruit in an accessible style. This is an inviting Cab with plenty of complexity and structure with silky tannins. It’s also very versatile with food." 

 

Decanter gave this release a 93 rating. The Tasting Panel gave it 90 points.

Decanter - "A 50th anniversary special bottling, this has a touch of Napa Valley about it in the rich palate, balanced with Left Bank structure, tannins and restrained oak influence."

 

Tasting Panel - "Creamy and plummy with generous, tangy style; an exceptional bargain packaged with a retro label."

 

RM 90 points.