WTN: More catching up (Mouton, BV GdLt, Dunn, Keenan, etc)

[David M. Bueker]

Some more notes from a tasting of older California Cabernet & Bordeaux:

1974 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
Lots of fruit left in this wine, but its strangely astringent on the back end (unlike the '70 I reported on in an earlier post). Good, but not as good as I would have expected based on past showigns of this wine.

1974 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour
Sadly I thought this was badly flawed. The rest of the group was divided.

1978 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon
Wow was this a surprise, with plenty of fruit, maybe a touch of VA, but quite leathery, earthy & well balanced. Lovely wine.

1980 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour
I was sure this was mature Bordeaux, and I really liked it a lot. Leather, cedary, earth and warmed red fruit all woven together into a seamless tapestry. Delicious.

1981 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
OMG! A Dunn that's finally ready to drink. There's still some back bone, but its in balance with the lingering fruit. Very good.

1981 Mouton Rothschild
Well at least I got this one right, marking my sheet as Bordeaux the minute I smelled it. Cedar, red fruit, spice, turned earth all coming together in a lovely, middle weight package. Very fine.

And there was more...

1981 Mouton Rothschild
Well at least I got this one right, marking my sheet as Bordeaux the minute I smelled it. Cedar, red fruit, spice, turned earth all coming together in a lovely, middle weight package. Very fine.

How nice to hear a report on this one - I've got a bottle at home for a tasting I'm organizing - got it for a song, because the label is in terrible shape, but the fill is base neck.

A few of the users on CT have noted that this evolves rapidly in the glass and that one ought to drink it within 1/2 hour of opening - did you experience anything like that?

The BVGdLt can be lovely. I've only had the '97 and it was my top wine out of twelve high-end '97 Cal cabs or Bordeaux-like blends beating out the Caymus Special Selection, Etude, Markham, etc. I WONDERED if Dunn cabs were ever ready to drink.

[David M. Bueker]

Ryan,

A half hour? Heck no. I went back to the Mouton about 90 minutes later & liked it even more. I would not advise a decant, but rather open it & follow it from the bottle.

Ryan,

A half hour? Heck no. I went back to the Mouton about 90 minutes later & liked it even more. I would not advise a decant, but rather open it & follow it from the bottle.

You know the decanting might be the problem - there seem to be a lot of people on CT who think that all old wine needs to be decanted. The only case when I decant anything is if it is a wine that is so young it requires decanting to be approachable.

I heard a very sad story of someone who was serving 4 (IIRC) of the 1945 First Growths, and decanted them each for 3 hours first. Killed them. And one of them was the Mouton!