Wines bought at the wineries on release and in my cellar since.
1991 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - medium dark colour, some nice red fruit notes and a decently long dry finish. Very decent showing given the age. Bought from the winery and stored in my cellar since.
1986 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon Jack London - did some more rustling through older wines in the cellar and came up with this. Surprisingly dark and you don’t usually expect much purple in wines at age almost 40. The nose was primarily dark fruits with an overtone of cigar - not a lit one, just the unlit smell which is usually tobacco and the cedar they are most often wrapped in. In the mouth it acted like a much younger wine with grip and sweet plummy fruit. The only real giveaway of the age was that it narrowed down in the finish and was a tad short.
My last Raymond was a 1985- The shipment by UPS was delayed due to “Train Derailment” so I can only imagine what that bottle experienced on it’s 4 week journey from California. I pictured it laying in the New Mexico desert for days among mangled boxes as railroad staff combed through what they could salvage. It arrived later in perfect condition and drank beautifully. The old Raymonds always satisfy.
I think I bought the '90 or '91 Raymond Reserve on my first trip to Napa with my parents. It lasted all of 8 months in my “cellar” before I couldn’t resist it anymore. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
