It It is not often you are lucky enough to be part of an event like the one held by the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Wine Society. The fortunate group of AWS members gathered on Sunday April 3, 2005 at the home of Beth and Frank Yantek.

After a welcome with a glass of an Australian red blend, we proceeded to the task of sampling a vast array of older Napa cabernet sauvignons. Looking at the lineup of Cabernets sitting on the table I couldn't help think about how many of them probably will not be any good at all. A lineup of California Cabernets ranging from 1958 to 1987 is not something you come across every day. I was thinking at least 5 of the 15 will be totally oxidized while another couple will be plain tired. We will be lucky if half are really drinkable.

The question of agebility for these wines was met with a fine affirmation. Not a one had any real fault or evidence of spoilage and all had life left in them (though one or two were probably on life support). They would all stand up well in a comparison with vintage Bordeaux wines. While probably not as good as old Bordeaux they all had something to offer. One or two may have seemed a bit tired but others came across so youthfully that the years apparently had little effect on them. We took the first 7 as a group (those between 1987 and 1982) for comparison and the last 8 (1974 and younger) as a separate group. These were voted on for favorites. AWS method of voting is 2 votes for your favorite and 1 vote for your second. Please read more about the wines and my tasting notes.

Group 1 (1987 through 1982)

Wine	Release Price	Votes
1987 Caymus Napa Valley	16.00	2
1987 Heitz Martha's Vineyard	55.00	12
1986 Raymond Napa Valley	16.00	3
1986 BV Rutherford	11.25	0
1984 Sterling Diamond Mountain	15.00	8
1984 Chappellet Napa Valley	18.00	6
1982 Markham Napa Valley	13.00	11

Group 2 (1974 through 1958)

Wine	Release Price	Votes
1974 Sterling Reserve	20.00	13
1971 Mayacamas	8.00	0
1968 Heitz Napa Valley	*	4
1968 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges Latour	6.00	2
1967 Inglenook Napa Valley	**	0
1966 Martini Napa Valley	4.50	8
1965 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges Latour	5.25	2
1958 Martini Napa Valley	4.50	13

The following are my tasting notes from this event. I will be honest and tell you the notes are not that detailed. After tasting a few wines my goal was to savor this event and not try to analyze it. The important thing I realized is that California Cabernets can age. Many of the wines in our list would be considered 3rd or 4th growths but still managed to survive the many years and remain enjoyable. I donated four wines to the tasting (87 Caymus, 86 Raymond, 84 Sterling and 82 Markham). All were bought on release and stored in my basement which is not temperature controlled. The second group which were all graciously supplied by Herb Francis were all kept under controlled cellar conditions for the most part.

87 Caymus - just slightly brown edges, hints of leafy cab, bright cherry aromas, taste leaned more to prunes hinting at just a touch of oxidation. A very good wine with a nice lingering finish.

87 Heitz Martha's - On first smell seemed to have a bit of a corked nose but this blew off quickly (something I have noticed in other Martha's around this time frame). The minty you would expect was very apparent. This wine was still showing a nice tannin level and good color. Vanilla and berry lingered in your mouth. Of all the wines in the tasting this one may not yet reached it's absolute peak. There was still something about the wine which prevented me from making it one of my two favorites in this group.

86 Raymond - Good color with just a hint of brick edges. Closed at first but once opened had a nose of olive, spice and fruit. One of the more complex aromas of the evening. Good medium full finish. This was my favorite of the first group.

86 Beaulieu Vineyard - Showing a bit more age than the previous three. Also a bit more simple. It was a pleasant soft wine but not extremely complex. While very drinkable was my least favorite of the group.

84 Sterling Diamond Mountain - Amber edges but what you would expect of a 20 year old wine. Good fruit nose with a bit of leather aromas. Very complex wine which I kept re-trying to figure out its makeup. Finished just a bit short. My second favorite wine of the night.

84 Chappellet - browning edges but good center color. Blackberry, floral aromas. There seemed be more oak notes present in this wine than any others tasted. Tannins were soft leading to a very pleasant wine. I had a very tough time not picking this one as my second favorite.

82 Markham - This is one of the wines I brought and one of the few I thought was showing some oxidation. There were still plenty of dark berry fruit but on the taste seemed to be a bit tart for my liking. This wine was one of the favorites of the group in the first section.

GROUP 2

74 Sterling Reserve - tawny port edges but again good center color. Cassis and vanilla flavors along with a hint of oak. Another very complex wine for a 30 year old bottle. Great fruit with just a hint of tartness. My favorite of the group. In my opinion Sterling wines age very good.

71 Mayacamus - slight leafiness, was very smooth in the mouth but really didn't have much fruit left. One of only three wines in the tasting that did not get a least one vote. Considering the range of wines and ages it is amazing that only three wines did not receive votes.

68 Heitz - just a slight hint of mint. subdued but pleasant fruit. Drinking very well still.

68 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges Latour - The nose of this wine reminded me of the 87 Martha's at first. Hint of eucalyptus and dustiness. Good complexity with soft tannins. While past its peak it has not gone down that hill too far.

67 Inglenook - of all the wines in the tasting this is the only one I would describe as tired. Drinkable but just not much there. My least favorite of the tasting.

66 Martini - I had always heard that these wines aged pretty well but had not experienced many. While the wine was showing its age in its color there was still a good amount of fruit to be enjoyed. This was the third highest vote getter in the group.

65 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges Latour - Showing the age of a nearly 40 year old wine. There were still some oak and fruit left but the wine was closer to the bottom of the hill than the top.

58 Martini - this is the oldest California aged cab I have every tried. I would have never guessed that there would be much left in this wine but there was. While not great it still had a nice sweetness about it and a mouthfeel that was very pleasant. This tied as one of the favorites of the group.

As you can see we were very lucky to taste some wonderful old California cabernets. Special thanks goes to Herb Francis for pulling the wines of the second group from his cellar and sharing them with all of us. Never turn you nose up at an old California cab, stick it right there in the glass and enjoy.