I pulled out of the lockers a variety of wines to open last weekend. I didn’t take notes at the time, so here’s my recollection:
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1998 Kay Brothers Shiraz Block 6. This was decanted a few hours before we drank it. The good news is that the wine is very plush and rich, and the tannins are definitely softening. The bad news is that the wine hasn’t really picked up that much bottle complexity. More of a hedonistic wine than a complex wine. Delicious, though.
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1988 Vieux Telegraph CdP (red). One of my last remaining bottles, with an excellent fill. The bricking, lighter color gives away the age very quickly. Lots of plums, some smoked nuts, and then herbs (almost licorice) coming in with aeration. I think this wine is about at peak, and while it’s not in danger of falling off the cliff, there’s no need to age it further. An aged “wow.”
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1994 DeLoach Zinfandel OFS. Back in the day, people were excited about Zinfandel, and people made plans to go to ZAP. Those days seem to be gone, with the exception of a few Zin producers. Anyway, the mid-90’s DeLoach OFS Zins were great examples in their day, and this was probably my last bottle kept as an aging experiment; popped and poured yesterday. I was surprised at how much strong, ripe Zinberry fruit was left–plenty of life left in this bottle. I poured some blind for a friend, and he thought Cal. Cab., although I didn’t get the aged claret qualities. Still a good fruit/acid balance, and some residual chewy tannins. Somewhere between a “yum plus” and a “wow.”
Happy holidays,
Bruce