CWD: '91 Heitz Martha's Cabernet Sauvignon

[drssouth]

To celebrate my older daughter, Katie, getting in to her first choice for college (Appalachian State)...we opened a birth year wine at dinner..

1991 Heitz Cellars Napa Valley Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, alc 13.5%: Bottled in April 1995....Decanted for about an hour...youthful fruit driven nose with perhaps a hint of eucalyptus (if suggested)....the fruit is really nice and pleasureable but the tannins are completely gone... this is a totally mature showing of a really well made California Cabernet ...really good in that the fruit and structure are still there but no real upside potential... did well with food... very glad we opened this now and not in 6 or more months!!

 

[Florida Jim]

I'm sorry . . . Katie's going to college?
Has Christine got kids yet?
Jesus, I'm old.
Best, Jim

 

[Keith Levenberg]

Congratulations! I love this wine - maybe my favorite of the '80s-'90s Martha's. I agree it seems unlikely to get better, but I don't see it falling off a cliff in six months, or for a long while - even some of the off-vintages of the '80s are still doing OK...

 

[Levi Dalton]

The '86 is drinking very well these days.

 

[drssouth]

originally posted by Florida Jim:
I'm sorry . . . Katie's going to college?
Has Christine got kids yet?
Jesus, I'm old.
Best, Jim

YOU'RE feeling old??? how about me?... Christine is 6 months away from starting high school

 

[drssouth]

originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Congratulations! I love this wine - maybe my favorite of the '80s-'90s Martha's. I agree it seems unlikely to get better, but I don't see it falling off a cliff in six months, or for a long while - even some of the off-vintages of the '80s are still doing OK...

Not sure how close to the edge this is but the tannins are fully gone...maybe it can cruise on this plateau for years more...no clue

 

[Chris Coad]

This wine is decent enough, but it can't hold a candle to the '21.

 

[Levi Dalton]

originally posted by Chris Coad:
This wine is decent enough, but it can't hold a candle to the '21.

Agreed. The Prohibition bottlings from Heitz are tremendous.

 

[Chris Coad]

originally posted by Levi Dalton:

originally posted by Chris Coad:
This wine is decent enough, but it can't hold a candle to the '21.

Agreed. The Prohibition bottlings from Heitz are tremendous.

Nothing they've done since has had quite the same vibrancy. I suppose it's just another clear-cut case of stress being good for the final wine.