80s California Cab and Steak

Issaquah, WA
Tasted Thursday, April 14, 2005 by Jason with 596 views

Introduction

Adam was picking up some of my Turley allocation (I love the stuff but can't handle 36 of them right now), so we decided to have informal tasting of Cab and steaks. When he arrived with the 82 Inglenook, I pulled the Mondavi, so we could have an 80 Cal Cab tasting.

We enjoyed Prime Ribeyes that were good but not great. I tried a technique that was designed to lead to a more charred crust. It worked as planned, but neither Tracy or I enjoyed it as much as my normal style. Adam seemed to like it.

Flight 1 - 80s California Cab (2 Notes)

  • 1982 Inglenook Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Cask 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    This wine showed far better than we hoped. The nose showed beef blood, iodine, and cedar. After about 30 minutes in the glass, the nose began to really fade. The palate, surprisingly, seemed to improve from the 30 minute to 90 minute mark. A touch of astringency did poke through on the finish, but overall it was an enjoyable wine. The highlight of it was the mouthfeel at the 60 minute mark. It was soft, lush, and velvetly. Thanks to Adam for bringing it over.

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  • 1987 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    I can't imagine that this wine is approaching 20 years old. The nose shows cocoa, roasted coffee, roasted dark fruit, and cedar. The palate gets better and better with air. After about 30 minutes I though it might be a touch closed, but now, an hour later, it has really opened. It is huge, fruit forward, and elegant at the same time. The tannins are fairly well integrated, but there is a slight kick at the end. With air the palate is really filling out and picking up weight. Now I get even more ripe fruit, but a distinct rosemary element has arrived. The finish was of medium length an hour ago, but now it is very long and sweet. This is a nearly perfect example of aged California cab. The best sip was the last. Wow. 96+

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