On May 29, 11:21�am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Bi!! wrote:
> > Similar to 1985 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet which may never evolve
> > or change.....
>
> or the '78 Ch. Montelena Estate, about which I could say the same. �This
> actually underscores my biggest concern about CalCabs: the "best" of
> them seem not to evolve much with age. �The exceptions to this that I've
> found are (ironically) Dunn's, Ridge Monte Bello and older examples of
> Caymus and Phelps. �I haven't had any Diamond Creeks or enough Mayacamas
> to make the call with them, but many other highly touted wines just seem
> to soften without developing many secondary, let alone tertiary
> characteristics.
>
> </troll>
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: �http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

In my experience 78 Montelena evolves albeit slowly and the tannins
soften. DC all seem to take years but eventually get very Bordeaux-
like. Mayacamus evolve wonderfully in twenty years. Togni never
seems to change but my all time champ is the 1985 Dunn Howell Mountain
that is still tough as nails and the fruit is still there practically
unchanged from the day it was released. I actually love the way older
Phelps and Ridge MB evolve. There is a difference between evolution
and tough tannins and my biggest gripe is with tannic structure so
tough as to never release and eventually the fruit fades long before
the tannins soften.