1974 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (3) Median Score: 95 points

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  12/23/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 96 Points

  This bottle of ‘74 Conn Creek Cabernet was a one-off sourced entirely from the fruit of the famed Eisele Vineyard while Conn Creek waited for their replanted vines to produce. An American Classic, the wine is deeply layered and profoundly expressive with sweet cassis, chocolate, tobacco, violets and earthy soil tones. You also get a hit of that Classic Cali menthol and shaved coconut from the American Oak (almost reminded me of aged Grange). Oh so sexy and Rico Suave. Despite lofty expectations, this soared effortlessly. A great bottle of this is a defining wine experience.

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  6/1/2013 - wabi47 wrote: 89 Points

  Berkeley Rep Fundraiser Dinner at Narsai's: still quite dark in the glass with minimal bricking at the margin. Big and almost brooding, dense mixed black fruit; full mid palate; medium acidity almost keeps up with the fruit; some tannins on the finish; might have guessed that this was a 10 year old petite syrah; nice match with the Assyrian Lamb.

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  3/27/2004 - GrapeScott wrote: 95 Points

  This is from a distant memory of a bottle purchased and consumed long ago, but I just found another bottle, so I am entering these old notes now to serve as an additional data point. The '74 was a one-off from the now-famous Eisele vineyard, in the second ever vintage of Conn Creek. The story goes that this came from barrels purchased at a bankruptcy auction rather than their estate fruit (the vineyard Bill and Kathy Collins purchased in '68 had been just replanted to cabernet and the vines didn't produce until '76). This was one of the first old CA cabernets I ever tried (along with a '74 Mondavi Reserve) and it was truly mind-blowing. Among the many '74s I've had over the years (including Ridge MB and Mayacamas), the memories of this particular wine are still fresh many years later. To quote my old/brief notes: "Beautiful cassis and cedar nose, black fruit profile, surprisingly fresh and full-bodied, silky and mouth-caressing. Epic unicorn wine that I hope to one day try again, but this seems to be the stuff of legends and fairy tales."

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