Over the holiday we had dinner with dear friends, and a bottle of 2016 Domaine de la Solitude was opened and greatly enjoyed. It struck a chord with me, as DdlS was my dad’s favorite Chateauneuf du Pape. When I was in Virginia, visiting mom for Christmas I checked around the cellar and found the two bottles of 1999 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf du Pape from a case my dad bought way back on release. Tonight I opened one. 1999 was to a degree a forgotten vintage surrounded by rather more popular years in 1998, 2000, and 2001. I happen to like it a lot for its more graceful style. After a little bit of grumpiness from 25+ years in a bottle, this particular 1999 showed a lot of that gracefulness. Solitude has never been a “big” wine so far as I know, and the flavors were lighter than many “great” Chateauneufs, but still very typical. I sipped on a glass reminded of my dad, and dear friends who reminded me of the wine.
I am Napa Centric with a lot of Bordeaux in the cellar also. So basically it is a Chilean Bordeaux style wine - to your point - it is a bit rich - so steers towards a more Napa meritage style. I have had it before - it’s drinkable.
I think the 1999s tended to be my favorite wines, for the reason you mention. I had some beautiful wines from that vintage. 
Love your note. 
Along with 94 and 04, 99 was one of the most underrated vintages. I wish I had more in my cellar.
I know Beaucastel is an outlier because of the cepage, but a ‘99 I opened two years ago showed very well. It got middling critics’ scores on release, as I recall.
Although the great Brett cleansing, which forever changed Beaucastel is supposed to have occurred in 1997, I have always thought that 99 was the last of the great old Beaus.
We’re back in the crypt, but also down under, so it’s time to find out “is it wine or is it goop?”
Tonight it’s a bottle from an all too often goopy offender, Clarendon Hills. Several bottles have already been left for dead, but I had hopes for this one.
Oh my gosh, it’s wine! First of all it’s only 13.5% ABV if the label is to be believed. Certainly doesn’t taste overproof. What it does taste like is ur-Syrah. It’s meaty, lightly roasted, herbal, tar inflected, and all other things savory. Not much fruit to be found at this point, even with an hour of air. That said, for someone like me who really loves Syrah, it’s more than a little interesting. Not a lot of fun, but intellectually intriguing given what I had expected.
This continues to be perhaps my all-time favorite WB thread. And it’s not just the emotional aspect of drinking your father’s wines. It’s super interesting seeing wines that popped a generation or so ago and then disappeared from the consciousness of the cognoscenti, perhaps fairly, perhaps not. Anyway, thank you for sharing. And may your father’s memory always be a blessing.
Thank you!
I opened a 1995 Clarendon Vineyard Grenache on New Year’s Eve and was struck by the total absence of evolution after 30 years. Still very ripe but less gloopy than I remember it being on release, while air brought out more and more eucalyptus which actually improved it. More interesting than enjoyable but still quite drinkable.
As someone who had a few positive surprises that should have been deader than doornails from cellar buyouts over the years, I always get excited when I see more posts in this thread. Thank you for sharing this adventure!
Just wanted to join the chorus of folks expressing appreciation for this thread. It’s great on so many fronts. Thank you.
When faced with the horrors, what do I do? Head back for more from the crypt!
We’re at the Napa Valley Continuing Care Retirement Community. The 1997 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon is still hanging onto its spot in Independent Living, though it bought a rollator, and the kids made it give up the keys to the car. It’s still a pleasant dinner companion, and even wears a jacket and tie. Assisted living isn’t far off, when it inevitably starts to fail at an ADL, but maybe that day is further away than we expect. Not a lot of structure left though, so if it becomes a fall risk the results could be bad.
I only had one bottle of Rubicon, but if memory serves me correctly, it was a bold wine?
I would not call this bold at all. Californian yes, but in no way outsized.
Rubicon was really stern for a long time thru the 80s and 90s. Around 2005 they got riper, was interesting tasting 2005 Rubicon and Scarecrow side by side. Then they went back to balance without the tannin from the 80s ans 90s.
Is that supposed to be Inglenook on the label? It’s been a number of years since I was there and I don’t recall it looking like that.
Edit: I did a quick glance at my bottles and they do have a similar line drawing but smaller and not so detailed
I have several bottles of Rubicon from various 80’s vintages. The few we’ve opened have been very nice examples of older Napa Cabernet.
The day I completed my undergraduate work, I splurged and bought the bottle of ‘86 Rubicon that had been sitting in the special case at the local wine shop. I think it was $50. This was 1996, so I don’t think it was a current release. Sitting outside behind our rental unit at a picnic table with my roommate and the winemaker who really got me into wine, it was one of those 1+1=3 moments where I’m sure my esteem of the wine was amplified by the circumstance and the company. The details of the memory are fading, but I still recall feeling that it was worth the $50 price tag. I still have the empty in the trophy area overflow zone.
While I avoided the Parker Aussie brigade effect, I am starting to see some evidence that I might one day enable this sort of exercise for somebody else. I can only hope that they memorialize me half as well.
Cheers!
fred