Community Tasting Notes 16

• Cailles wrote: 90 points

  May 1, 2024 - 23x California 1974: Do the legendary 1974s still hold up? The answer is a resounding YES, and not just for one or two top wines, but across the board. These best wines showed incredible complexity, with still vibrant fruit cores perfectly complemented by layers upon layers of tertiary aromas, a fully intact structural frame, stature, poise, and freshness. While many of these wines should continue to age well, I don't expect them to get any better than they are now. The top wines in the tasting were the Mondavi Cabernet and the Phelps Insignia (both 97pts), the Mondavi Reserve and the Mount Eden (both 96pts), and the Ridge Monte Bello (95pts). Many more wines scored in the 90-94 point range. I'm convinced that many wines would have scored even higher in a different tasting setting, where you can follow the wine over the course of an evening. Only 5 of the 24 bottles showed signs of weakness, with 1 of those already oxidized, but given the substance that could be tasted underneath, this is more likely due to weak corks or poor storage than anything nature delivered this year. All the wines had very good fill levels and had been quickly double decanted before tasting to remove the sediment.
  
  TN: This wine showed two distinct phases. First, it was atypical, dominated by fresh, sweet red berries and rhubarb, complemented by cola, minerality and herbal notes, making it uncharacteristic of a typical Cabernet. It was so young and wild, that I wrote “Fake?” in my notes. However, as it sat in the glass and got air, it evolved into a more classic profile with darker fruit and emerging malty aromas, more in line with its grape and vintage characteristics. Structural integrity was excellent. Overall, this was a good, but not outstanding bottle. 90/91pts.

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• G_H wrote: 82 points

  February 2, 2024 - A 1974 Napa Retrospective (Zunfthaus zur Waag Zürich): Dark chocolate, molasses, still drinkable but definitely over the hill

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• Wineguybri wrote: 85 points

  January 23, 2024 - Way past its prime. Void of any fruit. Musky. Very light. Low tannins. Was still a fun experience trying something so old and it for sure wasn’t flawed, just too old for the vineyard/winemaking from that year to last this long

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• grayfont Likes this wine:

  November 15, 2023 - By the glass at Bern’s in Tampa. Drinking very well. Dried apricot, raisin, tobacco. Clearly aged but not at all faded. Very glad I ordered it.

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• William J. Le Petomane Likes this wine: 94 points

  October 12, 2022 - Who said California cabs don’t last? This 1974 had plenty of fruit and is ready to drink now.

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1974
• Type Red
• Producer Inglenook Vineyards
• Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Napa Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 91 (72%)
• Consumed 35 (28%)

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