1978 Cienega Valley Winery Special Reserve

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 89 points

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  8/18/2015 - bretrooks wrote:

  Not decanted, sipped on over ~3 hours with some left in the bottle for another evening. The cork was soaked about 1/3 of the way through, and the color in the glass was a crimson/brick red with some cola-ish brown mixed in. The label reports 12 years in wood, but there was surprisingly little influence that I could detect. Somewhat simple and tart plummy/grapey, with high acidity showing on the first pour. This subsided over time, settling in with the gentle structure. No heat showing (18% ABV listed on the bottle).
  
  Still sound and enjoyable, although it strikes me as being akin in quality to a moderate LBV-level Port at this point. A worthwhile experiment.
  
  Update from 2 nights later: At this point, the wine is more integrated and the fruit character has transformed - this now shows golden raisin, cola, burnt sugar, and a little something like maple syrup or dried apricot. Some sediment at the end of the bottle, but far less than I expected for a bottle of this age.

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  8/12/2014 - yaki wrote: 89 Points

  Not decanted. I was quite surprised considering the age of this wine, as the cork is clean and shows no signs of past seepage. Color in the glass is clearly that of an older wine, with a light ruby core and brown/amber rim in the glass. Bouquet is distinctly port and not oxidized, showing caramel, raisin and candied plum. The palate offers more ripe fruits, especially raisin, dried apricot and more plum. There are some rough notes of earthiness, and a strong sweet note through the wine (almost too sweet, actually). Acidity is medium and tannins are very light. Finish is medium long. Overall, I was amazed at how well the wine held up considering that it was a new world vintage port; not amazing, but quite enjoyable and unique.

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