Neal Martin from the Wine Advocate came to NYC for a bit, and John
Gilman and Craig Ganzer decided he should have a look at classic old
school California, which isn't well represented in the UK. A nice
group of 10 wine geeks gathered in a very cool Chelsea/Union Sq area
loft. Lots of nice wines tasted, my notes are below. I will say that
there was a bit more disagreement than most nights, so take my
disclaimer seriously, others felt differently about several wines.

1998 Henriot Brut Champagne
Medium to full bodied, bready, baked apple pie fruit. Light oxidative
notes, but fresh acidity and good finish. Consistent from 2 bottles.
Quite nice! A-/B+

1973 Mayacamas Zinfandel
Some volative notes, very ripe fruit (overripe to some), holding on
ok, just not showing enough complexity/development to suggest that
aging did this any good. But definitely alive. B-/C+

we moved to table, and enjoyed some cheeses, lardo, proscuitto, etc.

First flight
1971 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
I brought the Krugs, and frankly expected the 74 to outshine the 71,
much to my surprise I preferred the 71. Soft, elegant, classy with
dark fruit trumped by notes of earth, cedar, and herb. Really nice,
and a contender for WOTN for me. A-

1974 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Lot F1 Cabernet Sauvignon
All Fay fruit. Herb, dill, a bit blocky. Still some dense fruit, I
liked but thought next to the 71 it showed a touch clumsy. B+/B

A solo flight
NV Casa de Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
An intriguing backstory. Sebastiani was making jug wines, but a batch
of 1941 was so good they saved it (labeled as Cabernet, but then that
meant at least 51%). Bottled in 1947, released and it didn't sell
well. A bunch was saved in cellars, and in 1982 reconditioned and put
out for sale (with orginal corks in little bags on neck).
Sweet, full for the age, some thought this fruitless but I didn't. Red
currants, mushrooms, dirt. Not really complex, but good and with a
great story. B+

1975 Montelena Chardonnay (magnum)
(with a tuna/avocado/dill tartar)
Youthful, sweet white fruit, slight cheesy note blows off. Other than
Stony Hill this is the oldest CA Chardonnay I've tasted, but to tell
you the truth it showed a lot like the 98 Montelena recently. Hasn't
really gained a ton of mature complexity. B

Next red flight
1974 Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon(Livermore Valley)
Dark fruit, meat, tobacco. Seemed a little stewed at first, but
improved. This was a cheapie I brought because I wanted us to have
something outside NapaNoma, I've had this once before and liked a bit
more, but I thought ok (a few disliked it). B

1974 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Good nose, a bit simpler on palate but my favorite of the flight.
Black and red fruit, a touch of bell pepper and menthol. Good length. B
+

Heitz Lot MZ-1 Cabernet Sauvignon
(bottled in 1975, half of the fruit from Martha's Vineyard).
I found this pretty volatile, though palate was much better. Opinions
varied dramatically. Calmed down a bit, pretty drinkable, but one of
my least favorites. B-

Meal was great Waygu beef from a Japanese butcher in NoHo/East
Village, along with potatoes and salad.

Next red flight
1973 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Sweet, ripe, good red fruit but with plenty of spice and cigarbox,
good length. I thought this was my clear WOTN to start, but a slight
pruney edge after some time in glass put it closer to a tie. A-

1977 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Great nose, but lacking some zip on palate, seems ponderous. Some
mushroom/truffle notes, earth. B/B+

1978 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
corked

Final red flight

1978 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Fleshy, a bit of a jammy edge, pretty good length but a drying note on
finish. Some herby notes. Mark and John seemed to agree this had been
acidulated, but I neglected to note why they thought so. B

1978 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon
Sweet, big, young, good length. Seems like it needs more time. Fairly
complex, but seems a bit more potential than current pleasure. B+

1978 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Great nose, nice followup on palate. Some found it simple, but while I
agree it's not especially complex, I thought it drank well and was
quite interesting. Solid, classic Cab. B+/A-

Craig had added a dessert flight, with 3 half bottles of Chateau St.
Jean
Johannisberg Riesling. My ride was leaving, so I got a quick taste of
the 1975 Ch. St. Jean Belle Terre BA. Caramel, toffee, honeycomb.
Tasty, though I thougt not as complex as a German BA. He also had the
Ch. St. Jean 1977/1978 Robert Young TBAs, but I'm not sure which
vintage I got a pour of as I exited. Very dark, thick, with an
oxidative note- imagine a good German dessert wine cut with about 30%
PX.

Really fun night. Other than maybe the Zin, I'd happily drink any of
these. I admit to be slightly disappointed by the Montelena, Heitz,
and the F1, but that had more to do with expectations than anything
else.

Really nice group. Not much chance to chat with Neal at opposite end,
but he came across as both nice and professional. Thanks to Andy for
hosting, Craig and John for organizing, Chris for cooking, and all for
bringing good wine and personalities.

(PS I'm tired! Cathleen graciously gave me a ride uptown where I met
some friends finishing a Midnight Run, so I'd not have to take train
home. I thought an elegant plan, but an accident shut down the highway
for a half hour or more, I would have gotten home faster by train!)


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

DaleW wrote:

> First flight
> 1971 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
> I brought the Krugs, and frankly expected the 74 to outshine the 71,
> much to my surprise I preferred the 71. Soft, elegant, classy with
> dark fruit trumped by notes of earth, cedar, and herb. Really nice,
> and a contender for WOTN for me. A-

Interesting, but not entirely surprising. Although '74 was widely
ballyhooed for its lush, fruity character, there were contrarian voices
saying that it wouldn't prove as ageworthy as the overshadowed year of
'73. Dunno much about '71, but perhaps it falls into the same category.
FWIW, there's a pattern of forward, impressive years in Napa all ending
in 4 ('74, '84, 94). I haven't kept a close watch to see if it's
continued into the new millenium.

>
> 1978 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
> Fleshy, a bit of a jammy edge, pretty good length but a drying note on
> finish. Some herby notes. Mark and John seemed to agree this had been
> acidulated, but I neglected to note why they thought so. B

This was the Centennial bottling (1882-1982), no? If so, I've had it on
several occasions over its 32-year lifespan and it's seemed nearly
immortal but also unchanging. OTOH, it was a bottle I opened for Jean
during our courtship in NYC, so perhaps I shouldn't be too harsh on it! ;-)

>
> 1978 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon
> Sweet, big, young, good length. Seems like it needs more time. Fairly
> complex, but seems a bit more potential than current pleasure. B+
>
> 1978 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
> Great nose, nice followup on palate. Some found it simple, but while I
> agree it's not especially complex, I thought it drank well and was
> quite interesting. Solid, classic Cab. B+/A-

As you probably know, '78 was the second year of a two year-long drought
in NoCal (the drought that spawned Marin County's infamous "Shower with
a friend" campaign as they were entirely dependent on rainfall for their
water supply) and produced some very fine, underrated wines.

> (PS I'm tired! Cathleen graciously gave me a ride uptown where I met
> some friends finishing a Midnight Run, so I'd not have to take train
> home. I thought an elegant plan, but an accident shut down the highway
> for a half hour or more, I would have gotten home faster by train!)

Ouch!!

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Sorry Mark, meant to answer this other night

On Jun 27, 10:18*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Interesting, but not entirely surprising. *Although '74 was widely
> ballyhooed for its lush, fruity character, there were contrarian voices
> saying that it wouldn't prove as ageworthy as the overshadowed year of
> '73. *Dunno much about '71, but perhaps it falls into the same category..

Actually, my thinking the 74 would kick A wasn't really a vintage
generalization, it was just that the "all Fay" F-1 has a serious rep.
I think for table as whole 71 performed above expectations, and 74 F1
slightly below, though everyone liked, no signs of damage.
Personally I'd find it hard to argue that '74 wasn't ageworthy, the
Mondavi, Mondavi Reserve, Mayacamas are all great. The Caymus and Krug
F1 were holding well, just not especially complex/elegant. The only 74
I've found tired was the BV GdlT

>
> This was the Centennial bottling (1882-1982), no?
Not sure, will ask

thanks for reading