Definite but not excessive brown in the mostly medium garnet color. The aromas have ripe red fruit, a medley of raspberry, cherry and currant, clearly showing age but no ‘dead leaf’ character.
The palate is soft, aged, but pleasant, there is little vigor here but it is polite and subtle, with intricacies that develop through the mid palate. As it opens, it gains some strength and definition. This was never a great wine, but my last bottle is a good one on a cold night in Maine with meat loaf, local potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts with parmesan. Rated 84 on opening, 88.5 as it airs.
Thanks for posting this, very interesting to me since I got a case of this wine in very good condition (9 bottles have fills into the neck) at a reasonable price from the recent Phelps cellar auction. I probably overdid it since I doubt I can drink a case before the wine is completely shot. But I figured I was getting a piece of history and one rarely sees decent well stored 1970s California Cabs for an affordable price any more. Good to know that the wine is still alive.
Thanks to all who commented, I especially appreciate snark.
Marcus, this last bottle was bottom-neck fill. I would drink anything below neck-fill pretty quickly and wouldn’t wait on the others.
Why can’t you drink a case before the wine is shot? That’s a bottle a month! OK, if you want to skip summer, the good fills should still be good in fall 2022.