1976 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Washington
Community Tasting Note
pontac wrote:
Sunday, October 29, 2006 - A thirty year-old Cabernet from Washington State!
After removing the capsule the top of cork was covered in gunk which I cleaned off with a damp kitchen tissue, then insterted a corkscrew into pleasingly long cork which was spongy soft, but the seal had held. The wine smelled good, just like an old claret. There was a lot of sediment to be seen stuck along the side of the bottle so I poured four large glasses in one smooth movement, leaving about 3/4 inch of wine with sediment at the bottom. I didn't want to risk killing it with decanting, but I need not have worried.
The wine was browning, fruit faded but still enough there. In fact after about 20 minutes in the glass the wine developed a deeper perfume and flavour of red berries, then fading back again, to a taste a bit like watery Port.
It was -- one hesitates to say so -- 'elegant'; a subtle wine and it was interesting to see it change in the glass.
The back label informs that it was aged in 52 gallon (197 litre) "white oak cooperage" and that "this wine will age well". How true, but (like many things), would probably been an even better drink 10 years ago.
12%abv. I recall I bought this at the winery, but there is not one of those fatuous Surgeon General warnings on the bottle so maybe I got it in London after my return.
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