Mature Cabs in Philly

A small group of usual suspects got together in Conshy last evening to drink some mature Cabernet from California. Despite some last-minute wine selections, we had three great flights of Cabernet 'pairs' - it proved to be a night for the older generation to shine.

This was a great foil for the amuse bouche of picked salmon and ramps - and the starter, where we all had the grilled octopus.

• 2007 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett

  Germany, Nahe

  (5/11/2009)

  Tell tale "peaches and diesel" nose. Peaches, apples and tropical fruits on the palate with hints of slate and honey. Big lemony finish that makes you salivate - with bright acidity bolstering throughout. Noticably sweet for a Kabinett - should improve with some bottle age, but a nice wine now - went very well with the charcoal grilled octopus.

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Popped and poured these two older gems. Both seemed to put on weight throughout the evening. The best flight of older CA cabernets I've ever had and certainly the 2 WOTNs.

• 1959 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon California Mountain

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (5/12/2009)

  Pristine bottle (labels, fills). Darker colored than the '69, due to the sediment being slightly agitated. Initial notes of mature fruit (ripe plums). Sweet fruits on the palate (plums/cherries) with plenty of tar and tobacco notes in the background. Some slight steely notes in the mid-palate that were odd but not off-putting. Put on some weight with air - very nice acidity still evident in the wine, which drove to a very interesting zippy "sweet tart" finish. A wonderful exhibit of how CA wines can mature over 5 decades. (12.5% alcohol)

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• 1969 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon California Mountain

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (5/11/2009)

  Ruby-red and clear with some bricking at the rim. Bright red cherries bolstered by acidity. Layers of spice, notes of black pepper and tobacco driving through to a bright/acidic cherry finish. Lithe mouthfeel belies the amount of material still left in this beauty - impressively clean. Would have been a killer ringer in a Bordeaux flight - a great bottle of wine.

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• 1982 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  (5/12/2009)

  Dark red in the glass. Dark red/black fruits and licorice on the nose. Hints of black cherry and mouth-cleaning acidity on the palate. Vanilla/oak tones dominate the midpalate and the wine leaves hints of acetone on the abbreviated finish.

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• 1985 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  (5/12/2009)

  Dark red in the glass. Mature notes of plums and cherries on the nose. Fruit is still present on the initial attack - and plenty of acidity present. Imbalanced wine with plenty of oaky notes (vanilla) and off-putting high-tones reminiscent of lacquer.

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• 1985 Dominus Estate

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (5/12/2009)

  Ruby red with some bricking. Mature black cherry nose. Some hints of fruit left (primarly sour cherry/plum notes) and a faded note of mint. Some sweat in the background, plenty of acidity driving slightly imbalanced high-toned notes. While the wine was certainly enjoyable and showed some of the tell-tale Dominus features, I have had better bottles of this vintage.

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• 1989 Dominus Estate

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (5/12/2009)

  Dark red. Nose of barnyard, sweat and black cherries that didn't dissipate over the course of a few hours. A bit more substantial mouthfeel than the older wines of the evening - Black cherries, cough syrup and sweat - with waves of leather, black pepper and cigar box. Serious acidity and mouth cleaning tannins are still present. Great stuff! A mere baby compared to its peers. This can go for many more years, provided you like some funk with your fruit.

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David Kehler is the Houdini of desert wines. He truly pulled this one (the Pecota) out of his hat. I have never been poured anything that looked this ugly (the wine was the color of iced tea and it had a mangled label from swimming in the ice/dump bucket) yet, somehow it tasted great.

• 1990 Robert Pecota Muscat Canelli Moscato d'Andrea

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (5/11/2009)

  Held little hope for this one - crumbling cork and a dead ringer for Iced Tea (both with color and cloudiness). Tilt the bottle to pour into my glass and the nose screams Moscato right out of the gates. Spritzy acidity holds this together well - hits the palate with bees wax, a mouthful of flowers, honey and freshly mown grass. Great balance between sweetness and acidity - although it did get a bit tired the longer it sat in the glass. Fascinating stuff.

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• 2001 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl

  France, Alsace

  (5/11/2009)

  Medium gold color - Strong and very present acidity helps with the sweetness of this wine. Hints of oranges and pears on the palate, but the fruit is in the background - unctuous mouthfeel. I have had the wine a few times (PLCB has a strong inventory) and have thought prior bottles have reached maturity a bit early - and think this bottle is further evidence to that theory.

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It was one of those good nights - we all knew how lucky we were. Even though it needs no further bolstering - Blackfish just keeps delivering.