1977s (Quintarelli, GdL, Heitz, Fonseca, Niepoort, Martin Ray, Stags Leap, Lisini, Il Poggio...)

Had the great pleasure of enjoying my birthday on Waiheke Island, NZ with family and friends. The wines didn’t suck either (in order randomized by cellartracker):

I revisited to add some other thoughts and captured: Dried Italian herbs, slightly medicinal (in a curative way), sweet in style, but dry on the palate, long as the day, very savory, finishes with strong tannin.

Wine of the year so far - I can only hope to see a bottle again in my lifetime. (98 pts.)

Rich mahogany color.

High toned nose of violets, roses, tar and blackberries.

On the palate: Sweet red cherries, plum skin and fruit acid lift. Very long with great intensity across the palate. Firm, but not dry, tannin. A wine of great beauty - tastes much much younger. (95 pts.)

Hugely aromatic nose of spirit, flowers, and all types of herbs.

Smooth and luxurious palate of cassis, strawberries ad caramelized sugar. Very long and lush with plenty of life left. (95 pts.)

Probably the densest wine on show today (digestifs aside). Layers of eucalyptus, flowers, cassis, cedar and tobacco.

The lean palate belies the nose a little - very red fruited with great acidity, gentle tannin and finishing with spice. A lovely wine. (94 pts.)

Nose of shoe leather, cedar, violets and camphor.

Lean but balanced on the palate. Cherries, dust and cocoa. Ends nicely - quite sweet and with tannic grip. (93 pts.)

Beautiful autumnal nose of damp soil, fallen leaves, mushrooms and roses.

On the palate: quite sweet cherry fruit. Surprisingly fresh with great acidity and some apple skin. Floats on the palate with a long gentle finish. (92 pts.)

Floral (red flowers) on the nose with a touch of spirit.

Sharp (good acid) palate of raspberries and honey. Finishes quite tannic. A very elegant port (especially for the vintage) with quite a bit left in the tank, but will always be lighter in style. (92 pts.)

Quite a lot of VA on the nose.

Cassis and black cherries on the palate, with a iron ore quality. Resolved tannins. Quite nice but down pointed for the VA. (86 pts.)

Slightly musty nose of damp cellar and cedar.

Decent black and red fruits on the palate with a touch of red spice. Shortish length with a drying finish. (83 pts.)

Quite a lovely nose of mint, cedar, red flowers and mixed berry fruit.

Aristocratic palate of mostly black, but also a hint of red, fruits. Wonderful texture and balance. Really expands on the long finish across a variety of fruits, acid, and very fine grained tannin. Leaves a classic Rutherford dust impression.

I’ve had mixed results with GdL of this era - a perfect bottle perhaps? (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Wow, helluva lineup Clayton- looks like an amazing time!

Funny, I’ve also had horrible luck with the few Inglenook wines I’ve had from around that time (1980). All bought cheap at auction so you never know…but they’ve all been pretty horrible, even the Petite Sirah which I would have expected to have a little more staying power.

Thanks for posting and Happy Birthday!

I had 77 Fonseca this weekend and fully concur with your remarks and score.

apparentl it can be inconsistent. We got lucky with our bottles i guess.

Should have noted birthday was back in February, but thanks!

I know Inglenooks of the 80s largely have a bad reputation, but i help out more hope for the 70s. Not the case with this bottle.

Still, growing up i was led to believe 1977 was a port vintage and that was about it. I’ve come to learn it was quite a good vintage in California (and of a longer lasting more old fashioned era), and Tuscany. There’s also a legendary late release Weinert Malbec out of Mendoza although i’ve never had it.