1998 Raymond Vineyard & Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve- USA, California, Napa Valley (8/8/2014)
Bought this 10-ish years ago. Maybe it was even a gift, but either way, I have had it for a long time. Mediocre producer, bad year, but wine has developed into a very good to excellent wine. Popped, decanted and poured and followed for three hours. Kept getting better with the air. When I opened it, I thought it was going to end up as an 85 point OK wine, nothing special but not bad. However, as it got a chance to gain some air, it gradually developed some very nice dark red fruits with nice dark cherry. There is still a bit of unresolved tannin, even after 16 years. Color is dark with no bricking. Wood referenced in other CT reviews is almost all gone, with just a tiny bit of a mix of cedar and oak. Finish is soft but long. Nose is subdued.
I opened this with the expectation that it would either be a pleasant surprise or I would write a note that started with “what possessed me to buy this?” The result is door number one. (88 pts.)
Steiman’s 92 is about the same as my 88, so I guess we agree. I kept following the wine for another hour after I wrote the TN and it got even better. 4 or so hours after decanting, it was getting to be outstanding. More dark fruit and the finish stayed with me, at a low level in the mouth, for a long time. I was afraid to decant until just before I ate dinner because I thought it might fall apart but it got better and better with air. This wine proves my long-held belief that if you treat Cali Cabs with the same respect you offer to classified left bank Bordeaux, you will be appropriately rewarded. The 1998 Araujo and Opus I opened side by side about 3 years ago were outstanding despite the allegedly bad vintage.
Seems to be a common truism. I’ve had the experience many times. You never want to pull the crappy vintage because you have better choices and when you finally pull it, it’s delicious.
I think there are crazy values out there in 1998 and 2000 Napa cabs and merlots, at least for those who like the cool vintage style, and doubly so if you aren’t limiting yourself only to the hot names chased by wine geeks.
The 98s and 00s (and even more so the 99s, though that isn’t considered an off vintage) seem in a good place these days. I gave up buying from auctions due to compulsiveness and overspending / storage overrun, but if I were to be buying these days, those are the kinds of wines and vintages I’d be hunting for.
One of the best reds I’ve ever tasted was the 2000 Fisher Wedding.
It got zilch for a score from Monkton, and it drank like little more than colored water compared to the thick gooey purple stuff that Fisher grows down on the valley floor [the Wedding Vineyard is way up on Spring Mountain], but it was exactly what I look for in a great red.
Hey Jay, I opened a bottle of this tonight and you were right on - fantastic and kept getting better until bottle was drained. My experience was medium bodied with the slightest drying tannins which really compliment the wine well. Dark fruits, tobacco, earth and really delicious.
I loved this wine on release when I was into this level of wine and pretty much forgot about it all of these years. Nice surprise on this night. Paired wonderfully with fresh chanterelle mushroom risotto.
Another proof of my theory - If you treat a Cali Cab with respect and let it age, it will treat you just as well, or better, than a comparable left bank Bordeaux. Let’s say I compare the Raymond to a Cantemerle - a Fifth growth at about the same price. Was the 1998 Raymond as good as the 2000 Cantemerle that I also own? Certainly comparable. Might be a bit better or a bit worse depending on my mood and bottle variation.
after so many great vintages in the 90’s(1993 and 1996 just a step back) 1998 was underscored. I have had great experiences from 1998 just nothing outstanding. solid vintage.