Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Still going !

Decanting now, still has the nose of a much younger wine. Will be paired with beef tenderloin filets, they just got into the sous vide bath so patience required. Plated next to our home grown potatoes, mashed and portioned with about a 4:1 butter stick ratio, makes a delicious blend. A hint of truffle oil never hurts either.

Nose has a soup of black/blue fruits, blueberry, ripe plum, blackberry, light oak lingers, perhaps distant white pepper, mashed black cherry.

Palate is beautiful, tannins are mostly integrated just a touch of their grip remains, black cherry and plum jam, light sweet earth, raspberry smashed on oak plank. At 20 years past vintage, it's coming towards a prime drinking window.

This was our last 750ml from a 4-pack purchased in Feb. '05. Many years to go on this bottle, luckily we have plenty more, in 1500ml. 😋

Second bottle in two weeks. Consistent results

Singing.

Lovely. Consistent across bottles

Ric Forman is a warlock. This bottle was perhaps the biggest surprise of my wine life. I’ve known Jessica for 18 years and we’ve shared a few ‘81’s and I’m always impressed by this completely overlooked North Coast vintage. But this bottle was just everything. Substantial up front fruit, balance, tannic backbone and a lengthy smooth classy finish. I’m blown away.,

With these older wines storage is the key and this wine was wobbly showing its age. Soy sauce, vaguely spicy fruit was muted by caramel and burnt notes. Not undrinkable but this bottle was past it peak.

Very one note, that note is red fruits, generic, uninspiring... In the decanter, hoping for improvement, not thinking it'll be likely.

Rob had this a year ago

Full bodied cab. Boysenberry, Blackberry and Dark Plumbs. Licorice, Pepper and Anise undertones. Delicious 1999 vintage. Took an hour to open.