Cork in perfect shape. Nose has a musty leather with hints of violets. Still some fine tannins. The palate is a bit closed at first but opens nicely with a few swirls in the glass. Wow. This is drinking so beautifully. Dare I say this could benefit from a few more years in bottle. But boy is it nice to drink now. This took maybe an hour to hit its stride. After four hours starting to fade a little, but still drinking well.
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Greeted by beautiful red fruit aromas upon removing the cork after 35 years. Med garnet with a little bricking. A little disjunct on the palate at first, but got better and better after an hour + in the decanter- a balance of fruit, acid and tannin. Gentle, refined approach to CS - 12.5 abv - that held up very well.
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This was great. Classic well aged Cabernet with cassis, tobacco, lots of funky and earthy tones, and still packing nice power and concentration. A gem from the Ravenswood library.
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Decanted about an hour before the first taste. Cork was soft but came out easily with the ah-so. Plenty of sediment, glad I stood it up for the day before.
Just delicious wine. definitely the oldest zin I've had and it was a different experience from other aged wines for sure. the term "port-like" came up around the table- which I have to specify was a compliment. the fruit character definitely made sense, as it had that almost dried prune type fruit but also had great acid to balance. leathery earth notes mixed in for a lot of good complexity. Loved this.
Possibly the best of the Joel Peterson's cellar Ravenswood bottles thus far. This smells exactly like a fine left bank Bordeaux from the early 80's - gorgeous, lively red fruited nose, touch of spring water and tanned leather. Silky palate, beautiful blast of sweet black cherry and plum, fully resolved tannins linger just a bit on the finish with a bit of dust, decent finish. In the PERFECT space for me right now, this bottle proves how important proper storage is. It's a gem, the best Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon I recall having.
Cork was compromised and the wine showed it. Not fully gone, surprisingly enough, and you could tell that it had the potential to be a magnificent wine.
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From the most recent Ravenswood library sale via Joel Peterson's Once & Future venture, this is about as good provenance as one can get with acquiring 30+ year old California wine.
It starts out decidedly high toned. JP has never been afraid of acidity, and that's one of the things I love about his Ravenswood wines. A little bit of air, and the aromatics begin to unfold. Aged tobacco, green herbs, leather, cassis and a light cedar note speak of Cabernet. It's not a notably ripe wine, and fans of modern California Cabernet would probably call it unripe. I love it, as it speaks to a time gone by. It's a window to the way things used to be in Sonoma, and even Napa, before shoulder pads became mandatory accessories to Cabernet-based wines. There's a kinship with old school Bordeaux, as age has stripped much of the California sunshine, leaving only grape and dirt. It's a lovely trip down memory lane.
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With MPL at LWB at lunch (ham sandwich). Hard to believe this is the same wine. Dark color. Oak and fruit in the nose. Watery and diffuse in the mouth. Unpleasant finish. 5-8-10-4: 77/100.
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2/25/2023 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good cork. Became fuller throughout 4 hours. Rich fruit and balanced. Another amazing wine from the library purchase. So special.
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5/1/2022 - Ron Slye wrote: 93 Points
1986 ravenswood cab Sonoma.
Cork in perfect shape. Nose has a musty leather with hints of violets. Still some fine tannins. The palate is a bit closed at first but opens nicely with a few swirls in the glass. Wow. This is drinking so beautifully. Dare I say this could benefit from a few more years in bottle. But boy is it nice to drink now. This took maybe an hour to hit its stride. After four hours starting to fade a little, but still drinking well.
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11/27/2021 - OnTheVine.blog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Greeted by beautiful red fruit aromas upon removing the cork after 35 years. Med garnet with a little bricking. A little disjunct on the palate at first, but got better and better after an hour + in the decanter- a balance of fruit, acid and tannin. Gentle, refined approach to CS - 12.5 abv - that held up very well.
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10/23/2021 - klezman wrote:
This was great. Classic well aged Cabernet with cassis, tobacco, lots of funky and earthy tones, and still packing nice power and concentration. A gem from the Ravenswood library.
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4/4/2021 - mattstolz11 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From Once and Future library release
Decanted about an hour before the first taste. Cork was soft but came out easily with the ah-so. Plenty of sediment, glad I stood it up for the day before.
Just delicious wine. definitely the oldest zin I've had and it was a different experience from other aged wines for sure. the term "port-like" came up around the table- which I have to specify was a compliment. the fruit character definitely made sense, as it had that almost dried prune type fruit but also had great acid to balance. leathery earth notes mixed in for a lot of good complexity. Loved this.
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1/8/2021 - Todd French wrote:
Possibly the best of the Joel Peterson's cellar Ravenswood bottles thus far. This smells exactly like a fine left bank Bordeaux from the early 80's - gorgeous, lively red fruited nose, touch of spring water and tanned leather. Silky palate, beautiful blast of sweet black cherry and plum, fully resolved tannins linger just a bit on the finish with a bit of dust, decent finish. In the PERFECT space for me right now, this bottle proves how important proper storage is. It's a gem, the best Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon I recall having.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
11/20/2020 - klezman wrote:
Cork was compromised and the wine showed it. Not fully gone, surprisingly enough, and you could tell that it had the potential to be a magnificent wine.
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11/16/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:
From the most recent Ravenswood library sale via Joel Peterson's Once & Future venture, this is about as good provenance as one can get with acquiring 30+ year old California wine.
It starts out decidedly high toned. JP has never been afraid of acidity, and that's one of the things I love about his Ravenswood wines. A little bit of air, and the aromatics begin to unfold. Aged tobacco, green herbs, leather, cassis and a light cedar note speak of Cabernet. It's not a notably ripe wine, and fans of modern California Cabernet would probably call it unripe. I love it, as it speaks to a time gone by. It's a window to the way things used to be in Sonoma, and even Napa, before shoulder pads became mandatory accessories to Cabernet-based wines. There's a kinship with old school Bordeaux, as age has stripped much of the California sunshine, leaving only grape and dirt. It's a lovely trip down memory lane.
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11/23/1988 - MicklethePickle Does not like this wine: 77 Points
With MPL at LWB at lunch (ham sandwich). Hard to believe this is the same wine. Dark color. Oak and fruit in the nose. Watery and diffuse in the mouth. Unpleasant finish. 5-8-10-4: 77/100.
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11/1/1988 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 87 Points
At Connoisseur Wine Imports with K and MPL.. Medium ruby. Shy nose, but very juicy, fruity flavor. Black licorice in the finish. 5-9-16-7: 87/100.
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