1970 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain

Community Tasting Notes (28) Avg Score: 93.9 points

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  5/24/2023 - thesternowl wrote: 97 Points

  Judgement of Paris Tasting and Dinner (V. Mertz - Omaha, NE): Served blind alongside what was later to be revealed as the 1970 Montrose. Our humble table was universally convinced the other wine was from Bordeaux and there was at least one that was adamant this was the legendary 1970 Mayacamas. What wasn’t up for debate was the nose, which was absolutely stunning. A melange of ripe, dried and desiccated dark and red fruits with dried flowers, leather, sweet tobacco and the prettiest baking spices your nose ever smelled on a Cabernet from California. It was almost Burgundian relative to the Montrose. This is a vinous wine with acid keeping it spry. And while it is likely to give “Ohhs and Ahhs” for years to come, it is so gorgeous right now that I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the cork and taste one of the most important wines in history while it still has its potency. This will be one of those wines that haunt me for years to come and I’m ever so grateful to have enjoyed it. A sublime pairing with Iberico de Bellota pork loin with harissa purée and ramps.

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  2/12/2023 - rnellans wrote: 96 Points

  Deep dark red color. Big cedar, complex nose. Still good fruit balanced with soft tannins. Silky. Nice depth. Tobacco and earth notes. . Such good balance. Very Bordeaux like. Exceptional wine given its age. Totally different than a 1974 Spring Mountain cab served alongside that was more fruit forward. 96

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  11/21/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points

  The '70 Mayacamas is a stunning, vibrant wine that appears to be drinking at peak. The nose was dark, expressive, and complex, with black cherry fruit, licorice, espresso, smoke, sage, cedar, and a hint of bell pepper. On the palate, the wine was still vibrant and nicely concentrated, but showed great elegance with fully resolved tannins and a silky texture, and notable freshness with medium+ acidity. I found a core of dark red and black fruit tones enveloped in cigar smoke and earth, joined by a touch of bell pepper towards the finish, which was a good length. It's a gorgeous wine and while I don't think there's anything to gain from aging longer, seems likely to hang on for a while.

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  2/2/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points

  So much better than the bottle I tasted over a decade ago, this was just great. Piquant red fruit, cedar, leaf, herbs, pepper and tobacco were all over the place. Sweet and tart, full-bodied, spicy and bright, with length and an earthy, red berry finish, this is classic California Cabernet at its best.

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  11/29/2019 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 97 Points

  On the nose, a hair raising melange of blackberry, anise, roasted coffee beans, chocolate, and black currant. Strong spine of salty fruit with emerging sweetness on a welded base of acid and tannin, divine modulation into a long winding acid finish, each sip a variation on a complex theme. Monumental, moving, beyond time.

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