4/28/2024 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

Opened at a restaurant- Cork crumbled - needed to decant and filter out cork pieces. It is clearly an old cab and should be drank now. I enjoyed it and thought it was very good. I shared it with friends who are not familiar wirh older wines and they also appreciated it.

2/16/2024 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

Opened it for my birthday and shared with friends who are not used to drinking wines of this caliber and they were truly impressed. The Aussie Shirazs are among my favorite wines and this one didn’t disappoint. The younger ones are big and bold - this one had mellowed a bit, very smooth and I didn’t decant it. It was ready to drink right away. I am glad I have another bottle.

6/7/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

These old Zinfandels surprise me as they hold up very well. The cork was soft and crumbled a bit but I was able to pull it out in one piece using the Durand wine opener (this is a shout-out for Durand). I always use it when opening old wines. Back to the Zinfandel. It was a little dull at first, but got better as the evening passed, even some of the Zinfandel fruitiness showed. I used an aerator.

5/20/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

Surprised to find this old wine in the back of the wine cooler. At first it was a bit metallic on the taste, but that blew off and it was quite pleasant, nothing special but a decent old cab.

5/25/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

It was a good bottle of wine, but nothing special. Opened it at restaurant with a friend and it went well with both of our meals, steak and seafood pasta. Brought some home and it was actually a little better the next day.

5/5/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

Found this tucked away in my cellar and was sure it would be over the hill, but surprisingly it was not bad. It was still drinkable. The color a bit dark, a clear indication it was getting old. So it is good I opened it now - shared it with friends and we had many choices of white wines, including Chardonnays, but we kept coming back to this one.

5/20/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

These old Spottswoode keep surprising me. Which is good since I have many more, vintages ranging from the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties. The cork was good and no need to decant. It needed to sit a little before pouring. Had some left for the next day and it was still good.

5/6/2023 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

Had all the Grange characteristics that I like so much - drank well right out of the bottle - no need for decanting. Shared it at dinner with friends and was up against some other fabulous wines including 2007 chateau Montelena Estate; 2009 Matriarch. To me the Grange was the best of the wines, but I admit to being a bit biased. The bottom line is that it drinks well and will be good for years to come. I am glad I have more in my locker.

4/1/2023 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

Opened it with a 1981 Burgess. The cork crumbled so had to push part of it into the bottle. An old cab that has held up well, but definitely it’s time to drink it. It was not as good as the 1981, but it got better over time. Had the last of it 2 days later and it was very pleasant. Now I am curious about the 1984 vintage I still have in my locker. It is probably time to open it.

4/1/2023 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

WOW - I was surprised at this 42 year old Cabernet. The cork was totally soft - did’t crumble - so I pushed it in the bottled. Decanted the wine and let it sit for about an hour before tasting it. The color was still pretty good. It is clearly an old wine, but still very pleasant. I opened an 1986 Burgess the same evening. It has held up well too, but the 1981 was the better of the two.

3/24/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

Didn’t know much about this wine - paid $18 for it when it first came out. I tasted great - and has held up well. I assume it was fruitier when it was younger, but it still had the characteristics of an Aussie Shiraz.

3/4/2023 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

I was pleasantly surprised as this cab has held up quite well. The bottle was opened a little before pouring. It was a bit tight at first but it opened up nicely. I wouldn’t hold on to this wine much longer though.

3/4/2023 - Grangelady wrote:

Nice fruity but on the lighter side - a typical central coast Syrah blend.

12/26/2022 - Grangelady wrote:

I was surprised, it has held of up very well - not as fruity as when it was younger, but still quite good. I just had the last glass of it 3 days later and it was still good. Don’t wait too long to drink it though - it has passed it’s peak and probably on its way down. I have a 2004 of the same wine and curious to see how that one held up.

10/15/2022 - Grangelady wrote:

Had it with the 1987 and 2009 Montelenas - all 3 were delicious, true Chateau Montelena style. The the two older wines 1987 and 1996 were decanted and were good the second day as well.

10/15/2022 - Grangelady wrote:

It still tasted great.

8/5/2022 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

Opened with friends at Q restaurant in Portland, Oregon. A nice aged California Cabernet - the color is still great, fruity but also savory as it sat in the glass. It’s probably a good idea to drink soon.

5/13/2022 - Grangelady Likes this wine:

Still holding up really well. Showed many of the characteristics of the Australian Shiraz. I have one more bottle to enjoy. Maybe I will use the Coravin to taste it over time.