Delete please
A few years ago, there was a Bonhams sale with multiple verticals of Ridge, Martha’s etc where the wines went for peanuts. One of my many regrets…
In general, that market was gone two or three years ago; the very great wines from unfashionable vintages take a little longer, but are now discovered thanks to the net. I picked up a case of 1986 Monticello Corley recently, but that has been it for this year.
Note the 1985 through 1993 vintages of Beringer Knights Valley. They are very worthwhile.
The older Rubicons are really tasty.
Sterling’s Napa bottling from the 70s or 80s, and pretty much anything from Louis Martini.
I opened another bottle last night. Utterly gorgeous wine: rich, complex, elegant,
and so alive. Judd’s Hill 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon would have been a bargain at $40,
notwithstanding the recent purchase price of just $10 each.
Well I just had what I would consider something with a little more age on it. This thread got me curious but not ready to jump from 2012s to the 70s, I got a 1991 Duckhorn cab. My first impressions were notes of tawny port in the nose and aftertaste. I’m a novice taster so I won’t go into more detail than that, but an interesting shift in at least this one. Certainly something I would drink again, but would actually prefer the 2012 in a couple,years.
I wish I would have bought a couple of these too. They don’t seem to have any more in stock.
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1993 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/16/2011)
Delicious cab that is drinking very well now. Still very good fruit and decent acidity with mellow tannins. Dark purple with no bricking at the edges. Nose took a while to open up then showed some berries, smoke and leather. The palate was very balanced with berries, smoke, leather and loads of chocolate. Very good, smooth, lengthy finish. Ed Sbragia did a great job with this blend and the once notable tannins are well integrated now. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
This is the oldest Cali Cab I have had and we drank it at a get together of a couple of wino friends back in 2011. I brought this, a Bordeaux nut brought a 1980 something Bordeaux and my other friend brought a mid-90s Chateau Montelena. The Beringer seemed to win the overall WOTN but later, as we finished off the bottles, the Montelena came to the fore as the Beringer faded a bit (3 1/2 hours after opening).
That bottle did not seem to be aging well.
Better deal >> 1992 Chalk Hill Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon | WineBid
Sitting outside on a cool Manhattan evening, I poured another glass last night from this
bottle, which had been in the refrigerator. Air time enabled the wine to open up a bit
more, gaining some weight, grip, and viscosity.
I’ve had a lot of success buying older Cali Cabs (1980s vintages primarily) from Winebid in the past two years. I’ve typically stayed with this formula:
- Magnum format if at all possible.
- Always auctions that state the provenance is that the seller is the original purchaser.
- Always auctions that state the bottles have been stored in a temperature controlled cellar.
- The fill is into the neck.
While these items are all important to me, number 3 is particularly important. Right now Winebid has a lot of older Cali Cab bottles that state that the owner is the second owner who received them in an inheritance, and that the wine was always kept “in a subterranean passive cellar in a temperature controlled house” (or words to that affect). I wouldn’t touch those with a 10-foot pole. When I read, “subterranean passive cellar”, I interpret that to mean wine racks in the basement. I don’t know about any of you, but my temperature controlled house does more to control the living spaces than the unfinished basement. So to me, those bottles are probably toast.
I have a temperature controlled cellar - it IS the basement of my temperature controlled house. I can keep the temperature of that room in my basement which I call the cellar between 58˚ and 64˚ (usually 59˚ to 63˚) by controlling how open or closed the HVAC vent is.
Had these in the last few months. The Beringer faded after an hour but delish. The 2 Mondavi Reserves were going strong with the '74 having a slight edge.
Dennis, I think you missed the word “passive” in the description I noted. “Passive” means no separate temperature control for the wine.
Just having a little fun with you John, while pointing out that sometimes words can have different interpretations.
Last night, I had another glass from the same bottle (yes, drinking less lately, amid
summer heat). The fruit has tapered, enabling secondary and tertiary flavors to take
center stage. Still very nice and satisfying. At its price, this excellent aged Napa
cabernet is almost cheaper than beer.
This thread has piqued my interest - snagged a 1992 Montelena Estate and a 1994 Mondavi Reserve over the weekend. I have absolutely zero experience with aged cali cab and look forward to seeing what I am missing. That 93 Judd’s Hill sounds like a very savvy purchase!
Thank you. I have been scoping out 1993 Napa cabernet and merlot which lack CellarTracker TNs.
That year was spotty, but many wineries still made decent stuff. As a result, very good wines
from the Golden Age of California reds can be had for a song, as risk-averse point-chasers chase
elsewhere.
Nice tip - thank you. Point chasing game gets old after a while…always more fun to find hidden gems without reviews, and also easier on the wallet. Were the early 90’s (1990-1995) a good string in general for most of Napa? I find myself moving more toward Bordeaux these days as my tastes evolve - looking for more structure, balance, less ripeness, etc. so I’m hopeful that aged cab from the valley can be a nice compromise…