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TFS: 1979 Napa Cabernets
Tria Fermentation School
Tasted February 18, 2011 by ews3 with 1,069 views
Introduction
Tria hosted Thomas Groff to open up his cellar with some 30 year old Napa Cabs
Cheeses included a Camembert Chatelain, and a Montgomery Cheddar that went particularly well.
There was also Jamon Serrano, Almonds, and some truffles that Tom Groff also made.
Flight 1 - Prelude: Sparkling Wine (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2001 Mumm Napa DVX
88 points
simple, pleasant sparkler -- not sure why someone would buy this when there are plenty at half the price.
Flight 2 - The Main Event: 1979 Napa Cabernets (6 notes)
Red
1979 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
92 points
nose and palate show nice secondary notes of caramel and tobacco. medium bodied palate has med(+) tannins still left on this and med(+) acid. smoke on the medium finish leaves some black pepper behind. this still has a lot of life in it.
Red
1979 Stonegate Cabernet Sauvignon
84 points
very dark nose shows black fruit, black pepper, and menthol. palate is a bit flat and watery. med(-) finish shows black pepper and clove notes.
Red
1979 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
88 points
nose on this was off-putting. extremely vegetal, with cabbage and eucalyptus. medium bodied palate was much more pleasant, with black pepper and cedar notes. salted caramel on medium finish that leaves some acidity behind.
Red
1979 Inglenook Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Centennial Vintage
91 points
nose shows cedar, but with an ethereal spice/herb quality. licorice and chocolate most prominent on the palate, with some brambleberry behind. med(-) finish leaves the herbal quality behind.
Red
1979 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
88 points
tobacco and dust. medium(+) acidity shows overly prominently on the palate, which is a bit sour. medium finish starts pleasant, but has a slight vinegar tinge late.
Red
1979 Markham Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
94 points
nose took a while to open up, but when it did, this was terrific. nose and palate show youthful black cherry notes, but a surprising amount of complexity with tobacco, earth, cedar, and lead pencil. leaves a delicious tingle on the medium finish. My WOTN.
Flight 3 - Postlude: Other Contemporaneous Wines (2 notes)
Red
1980 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon
89 points
matched up against a bunch of '79s, including the inglenook that preceded this. this was not as fresh as the inglenook, but had a similar herbal quality that was pleasant.