Still very much alive.
Enioyed by the bottle at Compagnie Flatiron in NYC.
Aged Napa just hits different.
This has a shocking amount of acidity to it, given the age.
Also, beautiful color!
No VA at all, just did a splash decant for sediment, but PnP would be totally fine with about five minutes of air before pouring.
I still get nice fruit, with dried blueberry, dark cherry, alongside dried herbs, but also some cedar and forest floor with mushroom.
I would drink this all day long.
92 points.
by rnjbond
5 Comments
Nice, 91-95 Napa merlots seem to have held up really well. Will keep an eye out for Duckhorn. I have had 89 and 93 Beringer Bancroft Ranch Merlot in the last couple years and they’re awesome.
I hate young Napa Cab—I can’t even drink it—it tastes too much of everything. But, put some years on it, and the too muchness softens and becomes deliciousness. There are some real steals to find with aged, mid-priced Napa Cabernet.
Jesus Christ I remember my parents drinking this, I’m fucking old.
Napa used to age beautifully, but I wonder how many of today’s wines will age as well. The same can be said for many other regions. Climate change and winemaking changes made for more immediately accessible wines, but it’s hard to say how these wines will age.
I opened the 1982 Stags leap wine cellars Merlot last weekend. Still need to post the write up