- 1969 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
Early Togni, of course. Absolutely stunning, from the beginning all the way to the end. The most Bordelais of the wines tonight after a few hours of air, but at the start this was opulent and so very much fruit-driven. Just an accent of balsamic, with a complex mix of red and black fruit here. Mature but still showing so much life here. It's sappy, concentrated, and layered. The fruit definitely leans towards the black side, and the herbal, leathery elements don't come out until much, much later. That this wine evolved so much over the course of the evening and has so much vivacity at this point in time and how well it evolved over the few hours is a true testament to the stellar quality here. (93 points) - 1970 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
A bit of a runt in the lineup of 1969 and 1974. But that's hardly saying anything. On the nose, a hint of Sharpie market and volatility, but it's never overwhelming or overbearing; it serves more as an accent. It's more pronounced with its wood shavings than the other wines and right from the get-go there is this maddeningly pretty herbal, perfumed nose. It's delicate without being dilute or weak. A stunning wine in its own right, but a step down from the magnificent 1969. (93 points) - 1974 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
A fat better bottle of this than the one from a few years back. It's quite distinctive with its sappy, dark fruit. Whereas the 1969 and 1970 showed a mix of red and black, this showed far more black. Interestingly, there's an accent of American oak here -- whether this actually was done in American oak I've no clue. This was somewhat tight and ornery at the start, but a modest amount of air made this much more perfumed and floral. A modest touch of pyrazine here. (93 points) - 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (5/1/2024)
What's there to say? This is really all that it's cracked up to be. The nose at the beginning was somewhat muted and honestly a little disappointing; what this wine needs is a half hour or so for it to truly blossom. What a seriously decadent bottle of Napa cabernet. The minty, eucalyptus thing needs a fair bit of air to show up but it definitely does show up, imbuing this with the classic Heitz Martha's profile. The palate is silky and resolved, with intense red fruit here. It's pure and clean, and there's absolutely so much nuance on the palate. Coupled with the sweet, mature fruit, this is an absolute delight. (93 points) - 1971 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
Stunning, gorgeous stuff. This poured a little cloudy at first, which had me worried, and the nose, like so many of the other wines tonight, didn't seem to be as expressive as it could have been. Again, those 15-30 minutes of air did wonders here. This manages to hold it's whopping 13.9% abv (in 1971!) incredibly well. Would that Napa be able to do the same nowadays. The most un-cabernet-like of all the wines tonight, this had a delicate, strawberry perfume that might have been more at home with Rayas. It's certainly on the higher end of the register here. The palate presence of this wine is similarly stunning -- delicate, perfumed, and ethereal. For me though, it was the texture of the wine that really sealed the deal: it was so silken and resolved, but still with enough of a structural core that gives just enough pushback.
71 Cabernet Sauvignon, Eisele, bottled May 1973
The Eisele vineyard is on gravelly soil up against the eastern hills of Napa Valley. Production in 1971 was low and the grapes attained full ripeness. Fermented dry on the skins and allowed to macerate an additional seven days, the wine then went through a full malolactic and was racked to small cooperage. This excellent wine is big, with the potential for at least ten years of bottle aging. PD (10/73) (93 points) - 1976 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
Mostly Eisele fruit. Unfortunately, muddy and corked. (93- points) - 1978 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
An interesting note of cumin on the nose and palate here. Despite being mature with a mix of leather and dust, this still shows quite a bit of black fruit as well. In no danger of decline, tonight this wine came across to me as more structural than giving and straight-up pleasurable. One of the few wines that I felt could still stand to benefit from a bit of bottle age. My last bottle of this was around a decade ago, but the salient point I wrote then, which I still feel is true today, is that the modern Napa is not ever going to become anything like this. They really don't make 'em like they used to. (93 points) - 1970 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain - USA, California (5/1/2024)
There's a fair bit of a Bordelais bent to this wine as well -- it's showing lots of wood shavings and leather on the nose and palate. The thing that separates this from Bordeaux of this era is the generosity of fruit that Napa was able to accomplish. This has a relatively stern cabernet profile, in that the structure and the non-fruit elements take the drivers seat, but given the plush fruit on the passenger side, there is fantastic balance as well. I liked this a hair more than the 1974 alongside, which was a bit more heart-on-its-sleeve. (93 points) - 1974 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain - USA, California (5/1/2024)
This was, in contrast to the sterner, more structural 1970, a very heart-on-its-sleeve, easy-to-love bottle of cabernet. The fruit is opulent and plush, and there's still a good amount of fruit-driven sweetness here that is absolutely splendid. The profile is darker complexioned -- very little red fruit here, and there's an old-school Robert Parker richness here that I find just so easygoing and compelling. Very approachable and straight-up delicious, without the need to put in much thought, though that's not to say that this wine doesn't deserve thought. (93 points) - 1974 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
Caymus is now the sole winery where I've had absolute, undrinkable garbage, and absolute, mesmerizing nectar of the gods. In contrast to most of the other wines at the table tonight, this is a punch-you-in-the-face delicious sort of cabernet. The nose is spectacular -- full-on fireworks and concentrated, sun-drenched Napa goodness. More black-fruited than red, with just a hint of pyrazine and American oak. On the palate, it's just more of the same -- it's not shy or demure -- just straight-up here-I-am Napa ripeness. I had high expectations for the wines tonight, but this bottle was the dark horse. (93 points) - 1974 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/1/2024)
Corked. (93- points) - 1974 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (5/1/2024)
Next to a magnum of the 1978, it's very apparent how ready and approachable this wine is. And yet in isolation, it kind of isn't. The fruit profile here is quite dark, and there's that classic old Diamond Creek perfume on the nose that is really amped up. On the palate, and developing with some air, you get more of a funky, sweaty animale note (not unlike good old Rioja) that somehow is so pheromone-ridden that you're clamoring for more. Despite how good this was, I very much preferred the obnoxiously youthful 1978 magnum more. (93 points) - 1978 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (5/1/2024)
From magnum. Mind-boggling how obnoxiously young this is. Served blind, I'd probably guess something like 1991 (though it's not as fruit-forward and ripe) or 1992 (probably a better guess). There's a bit of chocolate and cacao going on with this wine, but coupled with the way the fruit shows (secondary at best) and how youthful those big tannins are here, it all works in perfect balance. That this feels kind of chewy on the palate says all you need to know about the further ageability of this. I only hope I can cross paths with a bottle of this again in the future. (93 points)
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Great wines great notesâŚkind of done with the 93pt thing. Give the 100ptrs their due.
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Adrian wasnât happy with Rich getting the glory. 
Great notes Adrian, sounds like an amazing evening.
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Ha ha! I wish i was drinking wines like these! Wow, what an insane lineup - great stuff Adrian!
Side note, awesome meeting you at the Grange tasting last year with our guy Andrew!
Thatâs it for 5 months? At least youâre back on form.
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There are still a few producers making wines in the style of these old gems. Nothing will ever be the same due to that pesky climate change, but I definitely hold out home for some amazing older wines from producers like Corison. Now I just have to live long enough!
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Donât mean to be obnoxious but did you ever consider selling the 69 for the current going rate of $15k. I have a vested interest in the answer.
Make America 93pts* Again
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Descriptive and useful notes; much appreciated.
âLove the 93 point (to hell with points) thing and the title.
One of my favorite posts this year.
Thatâs a lot of Grosses Gewächs!
Not to mention Kabinetts!
after reading this post, a brief snort of tissue plasminogen activator was the logical palate cleanser
it tasted like classic serine protease inhibitor, and while the uncontrolled shivering was distracting, I still award it 93 points.
What a great report, Adrian. Good to see you back.
And if that werenât reason enough to read this thread, thereâs Philâs tasting note ⌠whatever that all means.
A group of mine bought and had this about 2 years ago, with a base neck fill in perfect condition, for $2,400. It was absolutely sensational. I donât doubt that someone paid $15K for one of these, but that price is ludicrous.
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Really spectacular tasting. Thanks for the notes on these. What an incredible lineup of wines.
lol, hilarious
Only 93 points on these great wines? Why do you hate America?
Loved the write up. Love the 93pt bit, especially the 93- for the corked wine 
Thanks Adrian!
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You need to do a little bit of research. Adrian always gives every single wine on WB a 93point. It is a long standing well known thing here.
Go to Cellartracker and look for acyso to see what he scored the wines.
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