Right, it was a Warre’s.
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94 beaucastel very underrated (but haven’t had it recently).
Port is where the value play is, as it’s a top year and port is hasn’t had the same price inflation.
You could get the dominus and still buy a port- perhaps in a 375.
I needed a bottle to have with burgers so this seemed like a timely choice. This reminds a lot of the '86 vintage with the tannic structure and acid, but this has a core of sweet dark fruits that I have struggled to find in many '86 Bordeaux.
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John,
Could you be a little more objective/specific about the ‘94 port?
More than happy to: here is my CT note:
6 hr decant. An excellent young port showing far better (harmonious, balanced, delicious ) than I expected. Still has a lot of throttle — after a day in the decanter we had the remainder and it had barely budged - except to get even richer. Saving my other 3 bottles for the far future where this is likely to be stunning. Already fabulous but please hold.
Score: 94 and on the slow boat to a lot higher.
Relative to expectations : +++
What I will say more specifically was that this had less youthful burn on the palate than I expected for such a young port. It was also measurably less sweet than, say, my impression of Graham’s this young. What it lacked on day one was a little of the expected port weight — something rectified after a day in the decanter. This will age effortlessly for decades and might even be another legend in the making given how enjoyable it is even now.
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1994 Pichon Lalande I had last year was fantastic. Should still be good!
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It very much depends on what you are looking for. If it’s (mostly) mature Cal Cab then Montelena, Monte Bello, Beringer PR and others are in a great spot now. I have tried quite a few this year from my dad’s cellar, and they have been on point.
I opened a magnum of 94 Etude for Christmas dinner that was delicious!
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So is the Magdelaine, Figeac, and Sociando
Also a lot of gems in MSR Auslese. 1994 was a great year
And the Tondonia GR. When released it was dirt cheap… CVNE Imperial etc cheaper now
1994 Oliveira’s Sercial is nice
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Surprisingly this person has an extremely high end selection for sale and I think because of that I’ve always trusted his instinct, but… I’m in the past I’ve heard him knock Napa, so maybe that has to do with it.
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Looks like Chambers St. has 7 bottles of the LDH Tondonia at $225 which is pretty cheap if it’s in good shape, and not any more than a lot of the top CA wines mentioned (surprised you can still get Monte Bello under $300).
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This is a high-end crowd.
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David,
I think you have the benefit of drinking bottles that were single owner and properly stored. '94 was the first Cali vintage I bought on release and I drank through most of those by 2005. Virtually all of my experience since then with 90’s Cali cabs were auction purchases which may have some effect on drinkability. While I have been for the most part happy with those purchases, it always add a level of uncertainty as to whether these are the best example of these bottles. I do recall even going back to those original purchases that I preferred the '95 over the '94 for certain producers. This would include Insignia, Opus One and Groth Reserve. I felt they had a touch more acid and brighter fruit. I assume these would have aged better, but I am always happy to drink a bottle from either vintage.
I prefer ‘93 and ‘95 over ‘94 for stylistic reasons, but would never kick any of them to the curb.
Most, but not all of the ‘94s I have been opening were on release purchases. The rest were secondary buys from a very reputable shop that purchases private collections.
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I have not had a lot of '93, but I do remember really enjoying both '93 Insignia and Montebello. So many great CA wines from the early to mid-90’s.
Like shooting fish in a barrel.
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Another vote for Tondonia, though FWIR the Boacomia is also great - possibly even a better choice in 94. Also have good memories of VCC, LMHB, and BAMA. The dark horse in the pack is the Ferreirinha Reserva Especial though, if you can find it. Stunning wine!
I recall a store on Broadway, just below 96th Street.
It was loaded with 1994 HB, LMHB, LLC, and l’Evangile for about $60 per bottle. Took me nearly four weeks of shopping to clear out those dusty shelves.
Then I wiped out all its Gallo Northern Sonoma Estate early-1990’s bottles, for around $25 each.
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I remember buying these at Beacon Wines closer to 72nd Street.