Californian wine (Sonoma) - mmmm, mmmm

[LeRoux Strydom]

I'm impressed. Seriously.

Yesterday, I opened up an Ernest & Julio Gallo cabernet from Northern Sonoma, 1982 vintage , fully expecting it to be bad. I bought the bottle in San Diego when I was there on a business trip in 1990, and kept it as a novelty item.

What a pleasant surprise I had. It was smooth as butter, absolutely zero tannins, overall very pleasant. A worthy companion for the 35-day aged rump steaks I made for the family for Sunday lunch.

Should have bought more of that vintage when I had the chance...........

Anybody know what that bottle would have been worth today? I'm just curious to know how much "money" I poured down my gullet yesterday.

[HardDrive]

An 82 Gallo would have a certain novelty factor, but no idea what it would be worth.

Recently opened a bottle of 1995 Far Niente cab. Like you said, it was like butter. So smooth and focused. No distractions.

[berettafan]

shouldn't a cab HAVE some tannins?

[LeRoux Strydom]

Maybe, but I don't like too much tannins. Anyway, tannins reduce with ageing due to some complex biochemistry I cannot even pretend to understand.

[LeRoux Strydom]

From Wikipedia:

The tannic nature of Cabernet Sauvignon is an important winemaking consideration. As the must is exposed to prolonged periods of maceration, more tannins are extracted from the skin and will be present in the resulting wine. If winemakers choose not to shorten the period of maceration, in favor of maximizing color and flavor concentrations, there are some methods that they can use to soften tannin levels. A common methods is oak aging, which exposes the wine to gradual levels of oxidation that can mellow the harsh grape tannins as well as introduce softer "wood tannins". The choice of fining agents can also reduce tannins with gelatin and egg whites being positively-charged proteins that are naturally attracted to the negatively-charged tannin molecules. These fining agents will bond with some of the tannins and be removed from the wine during filtration. One additional method is micro-oxygenation which mimics some of the gradual aeration that occurs with barrel aging, with the limited exposure to oxygen aiding in the polymerization of the tannins into larger molecules, which are perceived on the palate as being softer.[3]

[t6dpilot]

Yeah, I have some very tasty older vintages awaiting my opener. Far Niente, Dominus, Guenoc Beckstoffer, Beringer Reserve, Sliver Oak, Joseph Phelps Insignia, ect, ect. Not to mention a fair number of other styles too. A nicely aged cabernet (that had the legs to age, of course) is sweet harmony to the taste buds. Just make sure you drink it with the correct food accompaniment.

My special treat that I traded a set of golf clubs for... 1975 Chateau Petrus. Rated a 98 by Wine Spectator in my several year old edition of Bordeaux. Can't wait to try that one - and yes, I do know how much each sip will cost. I think I will drink it with a hamburger.

[berettafan]

Potroast!

[Jim727]

You have to love surprises like that!

Tannins are one of the elements that allow wines to reach such ages - with time they gain elegance that simply can't be achieved any other way. You had tannins, they just were allowed to do what they are there for.

Haven't had the '95 Far Niente. Did open a '96 a couple of months ago and it was delightful.

T6 -
Good trade! So much for Merlot being inadequate, eh? Is the Silver Oak Napa or Alex Valley?

Jim

[Don Plumley]

Any of you cab lovers want to buy/trade some of the cabs in my cellar that I'll never drink, have at it:

1999 Caymus Cabernet Special Selection
2000 Caymus Cabernet 1.5L
1990 Opus One
2000 Niebaum Coppola Rubicon
2001 Gary Farrell Encounter
2002 Gary Farrell Encounter
1999 Far Niente Chardonnay

Guarantee: If the wine is damaged/undrinkable (cork taint, oxidized), just let me know and I'll refund your purchase price within two years.