I recommend Alpha Omega Era. You can get the 2010 off of Vinfolio for $185
He’s turning 80. Get him Caymus. And then get something else recommended here and enjoy both. And when he like the Caymus the best, know you got him his favorite. Can’t do better than that.
rsmithjr wrote:
Mt. Brave CAB from mt. veeder- $ 80
Good call on the Mt. Brave. Chris Carpenter is making great wines there and the price has not caught up to the quality, in my opinion. The current La Jota wines are also very good, but have become more expensive than the Mt. Brave.
Ed
+1 on Joseph Phelps Backus…
And if you wanna go big and have six bills or so laying around, seek out a 2012 Scarecrow, decant it for two hours, and thank me later…
Whoops, forget that the target range was $200-ish… In that case, find a Scarecrow M’Etain…
Ghost Horse Shadow. Older vintage if you can find it. $125 to $150.
He likes the Classic labels … he’s a Sinatra guy and it’s seems your trying to feed him Eminem. Nothing wrong with exploring, but my suggestion was to explore in the same era. If he didn’t like Molly Dooker it wasn’t because he’s looking for more fruit to be blown away by. Maybe it was because it’s not a classic label that he feels he can relate to? There’s no connection for him to any of these new labels and a big part of wine drinking is having that emotional link somewhere in the equation.
Lots of great suggestions. If you want to stay close to classic then I agree with the Spottswoode, Chappellet Pritchard Hill or even Seavey but all of them with some age if you can find them.
If he’s a baseball fan and seems like a good gift idea for Father’s Day, look for Red Stitch Cabernet, it’s from Coombsville area, winemaker Rolando Herrera (Mi Sueno) Big wine but also more classic in style than in your face. The winery is owned by Rich Aurilia and Dave Roberts. The back of the bottle has stitches imprinted on the back label and as Richie likes to describe, when you put your fingers on them to pour, it’s how you’d throw a 2 finger fastball. $120 about $115
Another one is Jack Winery Cabernet from Diamond Mtn. owned by Chris Iannetta and Vernon Wells. They do a Cabernet, Bordeaux blend, Pinot and SB. Wines are all really good and in your prices range. $125 for Cabernet
Tom Seaver- Seaver Family Vnyds GTS, not always easy to find and really delicious . Not sure what $$$ is nowadays
disclaimer: we do carry one or two of these but not sure we have any or much in inventory so don’t beat me up 
Came back to this thread as I forgot to update it but I do take offense to your post. His palate is not ‘shot’ and if you ever make it to 80 you certainly won’t be half the man he is.
Well I went with the Bevan as getting him the same thing his cellar is filled with is boring.
What you see in the second decanter is a 2015 Silver Oak Napa. Yes, I’m sure the snobs will turn their nose but surprisingly the Silver Oak Napa stood its ground against the 2016 Bevan.
I felt the Bevan will need time to show its best and it seemed muted even after 3+ hours in the decanter. There were flashes of brilliance and I could tell a monster was held back but it just was not ready for prime time.
We both felt the Silver Oak surprisingly was more enjoyable because it was far more ready for consumption but I did get the hint that the Bevan is an absolutely giant cab. Definitely will buy more but will let the 2016 age should I purchase that vintage again.
Just to add he was most recently impressed with the L’Aventure 2017 Estate Cuvée at a tasting in Paso which for $108 came across as a bargain.
Great picks, glad to hear how it turned out. It’s true, getting him more of what he has in the cellar, probably needs rethinking.
Warmest reception I’ve received for a Father’s Day wine gift was for a bottle of SQN Papa gifted in 2016. I thought I was being clever, finding that wine…but damn, what a treasure. I didn’t expect to share it- figured he would open it with his own father, but no. Tasting something that special, a wine that was clearly meticulously and lovingly produced, was a game changer for me (and unfortunately for my wallet.) For something really special to give as a Father’s Day gift, you could never go wrong with that…and not just for the appropriately named bottle.
He seems to like classic Cabernet that is a bit on the richer side. How about Forman? http://www.formanvineyard.com/
Never heard of them but that is the sort of thing I’m looking for. Things neither of us have tried 
Thanks, I’ll order something up for Christmas.
Interesting coincidence as I just received my SQN box. My father isn’t big on Rhone styles as he’s stuck in old-school Napa but your description has me re-thinking selling the box.
Ric Forman is a very long-time legend in California winemaking. He became famous in the early 1970s with the Sterling Cabernets he made. Spent some time at Newton before starting his own winery years ago. It is a smaller winery mostly known for Cabernet. He originally made Cabs in a very classic style, but today while his wines still have an element of the classic style they tend to be richer and with higher alcohol levels.
Some of his Sterling Cabernets from the early 1970s taste great even today - e.g., the 1974 regular and private reserve.