If I intended to backfill on Togni and Dunn, any recommendations on classic, high-quality vintages that I should seek out? Ones that are drinking well now preferred.
Thanks all.
LOVE the 2001 Togni. A beautiful wine
Definite +1 on Togni 2001.
'87 & '90-94 Dunn Howell Mountain.
'87 is just stellar.
1996 and 1997 Togni are fantastic wines.
1991 Togni.
Dunn Howell from '87 is amazing, as others have said. A rightly famous vintage. '81 and '82 are great, '85 and '86 are good, too. These wines need so much time.
Togni '91 and '92 are excellent, in fact a recent '92 was enough to make me wish I hadn’t given up buying Cali cab. '94 gets high scores, but can have a lot of bell pepper. After '97 everyone was crapping on '98, but I think it’s quite pretty and far cheaper.
Are you sure you can handle this mijito…?
I really like the 1999 vintage (best since 1991) and the Togni is the best of the 1999s I have tried. If you like the 1999 vintage in general it is worth seeking out.
The last 85 Dunbs I drank were dead. I would start at 1991
I’m a big Togni fan. The 1991 is the best Togni Cab I’ve had.
Cheers,
Hal
Totally disagree with limiting yourself to '91 and younger. Dunn Howell Mountain especially is considered one of longest lived Cali cabs made, and people at dinners regularly ask “will these Dunns ever come around?” – and this is from people who have a range of maturity preferences. I’ve been lucky enough to drink at least a dozen bottles from the '80s over the last year, many in the last 6 months, and though a few '81s in 750 were starting to show maturity, they were still firmly in their prime. A dead Dunn '85 could only be, in my opinion (and in the casual poll of my wine lover guests at the moment), a storage issue. I urge the OP to buy well-stored Dunn from the '80s with confidence.
LOL, I’m having a mid-life crisis!
Come on, these are classic wines, nothing like the cult ooze munsters of today!
This + this.
The 1997 is wonderful too, certainly shows the fruit you’d expect from the vintage but in no way over-ripe/overdone.
Based on a pristine bottle tried in late 2014, the 85 Dunn HM is either dried out or needs another decade or more. I have had s better batting average with the Dunn Napa, FWIW.
Neal and/or Olivier, when did you drink the '01 Togni, and did you think it was at or near its peak? I have three bottles but have been hesitant to open one because of my general experience with Togni’s wines needing significant age. Thanks in advance, and I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the wine.
As for the rest of the discussion, I had a case of the '95 Togni (which I loved) and consumed it at gradual intervals between around '04 (too early) and 2014. My last bottle, consumed near the end of 2014 as I recall, was the first one that made me wonder if I waited too long.
Yes+ on the '87 and '86 Dunn HM. Killer. For me, especially the '86. A spectacularly well-balanced (if that’s not an oxymoron, sounds like “exciting meditation” or “boring panic”) Cabernet Sauvignon from a sound bottle.
And Yes+ on the '91 and '92 Togni – partly because those are the only two that I have! (one bottle of each…)
The 93 Togni is no slouch.
85 Dunn HM is a poor sample for judging Dunn because that year there was a unique and significant barrel issue.
I had 94 and 97 Togni double blind and I echo Sarah, the 94 was quite green and the 97 wonderful. Later I had the 97 in a roomful of 30 great wines and I had it second only to 86 Leoville Las Cases among the cab based wines.
+1. The first Togni that I tasted. Beautifully balanced, great intensity and a surprisingly long finish.