This was absolutely incredible last night. Found it for a killer price on a restaurant list in Denver and couldn’t pass it up. Perfect provenance, stored in their cellar since release. This opened up quickly and exploded from the glass onto the palate with a beautiful mix of dark fruits, coffee, cocoa, and a hint of leather on the long finish. Beautifully balanced and drinking perfectly right now. A memorable bottle that I hope to experience again sometime. 98 turned out to be a solid vintage in Napa (although i prob prefer 96).
*Also had a 2012 Arcadian Pence Ranch, 2014 Opus One (half bottle), and 1998 Suduiraut (half bottle). Not a bad night
Sounds like an awesome night. Did it feel like the Maya had some life left? My only purchase from them was the 20 vintage and needless to say it’ll be awhile before those see any action. I have been stalking some back vintages in hopes of finding some with some age to try.
Thanks! It was definitely a great night with some of my team and some awesome clients!
And yes, it absolutely had a LOT of life left! The fruit was still on full display but well integrated with the secondary notes just starting to emerge. For well stored bottles like this one, i wouldn’t be afraid to hold for another 5 to 8 years easy - probably even longer! That said…i loved where it was at right now, and if i had another bottle, id probably end up pulling the cork by the end of the year
Well, if you want to do the latter, you need to start cycling like a #Boss. We are doing the dolomites in Italy next year. And for the record, we did exhibit some appropriate restraint by drinking a lowly Côtes du Rhône by Fonsalette.
