No love for Classic Napa Cabernet?

[Philip_G]

I still pick up BV GdL and Mondavi To Kalon when I can find it at around $100. Just had the '13 GdL for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic after a few hours of air.

[Mark_Golodetz]

Calluna makes excellent wine for the traditional palate.

For those looking for traditional wines, be they from California or elsewhere, you might want to check out John Gilman’s newsletter. Full disclosure: John is a close friend, but he has an unerring ability to sniff out well made traditional wines.

[ray_ormand]

2013 Curly St. James, 50% Cabernet, 50% Cabernet Franc. Owner/winemaker is son of Smith of Smith-Madrone.

[John_Glas]

@John M. Fodera

Neal, by “Classic” I didn’t t mean to imply quality. Simply the old guard kind of wines that I used to see notes for all the time. I could view forums and see 10 notes on any number of these wines. It just seems the times have changed.

$50 is a good budget. I’d look at Pine Ridge, Chappellet, Frank Family, Seqouia Grove. Good start.

Forums are full of geeks. And geeks represent a very small percentage of the wine buying public. The masses drink this stuff like water - ask any wine retailer out there - they are sick to death of selling them, but that’s all the people want.

Just came across a Napa Valley Facebook group and you should see all of the wines being drunk super young. 18s and 19s left and right.

[John_Glas]

I still pick up BV GdL and Mondavi To Kalon when I can find it at around $100. Just had the '13 GdL for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic after a few hours of air.

Amazing how you can still buy older Mondavi Reserves for around $100 from great vintages.

[mowen]

Paradigm is one of my favorite wines as I find it to be a nice mid-point between (what I understand to be) classic style CA Cabs and more modern style

I think the QPR is very good for premium location and wine maker

[Otto_Dobre]

The 2018 Trefethen that I am sipping right now is what I consider classic Napa Cabernet. And the price was right.

[Ed_Steinway]

CJ Beazley wrote:
That’s how I feel about Forman, it used to be a big splurge classic Napa for special occasions, now it seems like a value play.

This. Great wine and great people. Ric basically lets his wines speak for themselves and the prices have not risen dramatically over the years.

Ed

[JBucholz]

Examples of non-classic Cali Cabs that get the love include * * * Quilceda Creek

[Ian_Alper]

I guess no one else is going to point out the great time leap Arv did from 2013 to present day. Wonderful that it was just picked up and played. So enjoyable. Continue.

[Curtis_Chen]

I still pick up BV GdL and Mondavi To Kalon when I can find it at around $100. Just had the '13 GdL for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic after a few hours of air.

Amazing how you can still buy older Mondavi Reserves for around $100 from great vintages.

That’s because those aren’t that good.

[Larry_Stein]

That’s the only type I’ll drink. A friend gave me a bottle of ‘73 Sterling Reserve Cab. A Ric Forman wine. It was this year’s Christmas dinner wine. Holy crap, it was so good. I joined my first wine tasting group in 1979. Those were the kind of Cabs that I cut my teeth on.

[John_Glas]

I still pick up BV GdL and Mondavi To Kalon when I can find it at around $100. Just had the '13 GdL for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic after a few hours of air.

Amazing how you can still buy older Mondavi Reserves for around $100 from great vintages.

That’s because those aren’t that good.

Ok so the 01, 99 and 94 are not good?

[David_Bu3ker]

I still pick up BV GdL and Mondavi To Kalon when I can find it at around $100. Just had the '13 GdL for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic after a few hours of air.

Amazing how you can still buy older Mondavi Reserves for around $100 from great vintages.

That’s because those aren’t that good.

Some are very good. The 1987 is delicious.

[MChang]

I think the older mondavi are very nice.

[B_Davies]

Caymus is completely sold out … like we can’t get anymore from our supplier.

We sold all of our Silver Oak last week… so seems like Napa love is still thriving. Most Wagner family stuff is OOS for the year like Emmolo sparkling.

[MChang]

Caymus is completely sold out … like we can’t get anymore from our supplier.

We sold all of our Silver Oak last week… so seems like Napa love is still thriving. Most Wagner family stuff is OOS for the year like Emmolo sparkling.

Caymus and silver oak are immensely popular in the world at large, just not here in the AFWE heartland.

[B_Davies]

Caymus is completely sold out … like we can’t get anymore from our supplier.

We sold all of our Silver Oak last week… so seems like Napa love is still thriving. Most Wagner family stuff is OOS for the year like Emmolo sparkling.

Caymus and silver oak are immensely popular in the world at large, just not here in the AFWE heartland.

Do people still like Mayacamas Mountain wines? I find them very nice albeit expensive similarly Mt. Veeder AVA.

[Larry_Stein]

I was given a bottle of 2018 Caymus Cab as a gift by my wife’s daughter. I can’t bring it to any gathering with my usual group of wine geek friends. They’ll hate me and even worse, tease me unmercifully forever and ever. Only thought is to cellar it as a science experiment for several years. And make sure to have a back-up!

[B_Davies]

I was given a bottle of 2018 Caymus Cab as a gift by my wife’s daughter. I can’t bring it to any gathering with my usual group of wine geek friends. They’ll hate me and even worse, tease me unmercifully forever and ever. Only thought is to cellar it as a science experiment for several years. And make sure to have a back-up!

Was it by chance the special selection? I wouldn’t have any problem with that.