Four reds

Florida Jim

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
2005 Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie Cuve Tardive:
Unwinds quickly in the glass and delivers aromatic complexity and authenticity; a deep, structured mouthful of flavor and excellent length. With food it is even more attractive as the fruit comes to the fore and the structure integrates. A fine bottle of gamay and lots of years ahead. 13% alcohol and about $20 at release.

2000 Belle Pente, Pinot Noir Wahle Vnyd. Res.:
Earthy black fruit nose, quite savory; more fruit driven in the mouth with a distinct dirt/earth element, some complexity and lovely silky texture, medium length. Diane made turkey meatballs in broth with chard and white beans and this was ideal accompaniment. Showing well now. 13.8% alcohol and about $36 on release.
Better still, by a pretty good margin, on day two.

1991 Sullivan, Cabernet Sauvignon:
Decanted off substantial sediment. Smells of tannin and torrefied earth with solid dark fruit tones and some smoke; really first-class in the mouth lots of flavor, little overt secondary development but a cohesiveness that is uncommon, loads of complexity, great intensity, no green, satin texture and some grip; very long finish.. Nothing Bordeaux-like about this; it is 100% California cabernet and a powerful, glorious example. Here is what great CA cabernet can age into given 18 years and the right stuff to begin with. 13.1% alcohol and about $45, on release.

1993 Laurel Glen, Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Mountain:
Decanted off substantial sediment but unlike the above wine, this does not smell of tannin or smoke but of ripe fruit, mineral and just a touch of brett; more flamboyant in the mouth but still composed and satin textured, some grip, good complexity and intensity; long finish. This wine tends more to a Bordeaux connection but still has the power of CA fruit. Yummy with dinner. 12.5% alcohol and about $40, on release.

Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Wow!guess I repressed the fact that people charged that much money 18 years ago
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Heh. Cabernet was going stratospheric starting in the late '80s, Steve (how soon we forget). I bought Caymus Cabs in the early '80s for $10.50 a bottle; by '91 they were selling for close to $60 a bottle. Since by that time I'd almost stopped buying CalCabs, it was a matter of little more than academic interest even then.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by MLipton:
it was a matter of little more than academic interest even then.
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By which of course you mean it was of great interest and the utmost importance.
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But of course... Next time you're in Chicago, we'll get together for a CalCab jeeb. I'm sure that you've got a cellar overflowing with 'em, just like me.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
I bought Caymus Cabs in the early '80s for $10.50 a bottle
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Mark, you must have been what, 15 at the time? Well done. I hadn't even started sneaking old, oxidized bottles of Inglenook jug wine and Korbel from the parents' liquor cabinet yet.
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Wow!guess I repressed the fact that people charged that much money 18 years ago
Click to expand...

Heh. Cabernet was going stratospheric starting in the late '80s, Steve (how soon we forget). I bought Caymus Cabs in the early '80s for $10.50 a bottle; by '91 they were selling for close to $60 a bottle. Since by that time I'd almost stopped buying CalCabs, it was a matter of little more than academic interest even then.

Mark Lipton
Click to expand...
My recollection is that the '90 was $11 or $12 at the Wine Club, that the '91 was maybe $16, and by '93 or '94 it was $60.
 
originally posted by slaton:
originally posted by MLipton:
I bought Caymus Cabs in the early '80s for $10.50 a bottle
Click to expand...
Mark, you must have been what, 15 at the time? Well done. I hadn't even started sneaking old, oxidized bottles of Inglenook jug wine and Korbel from the parents' liquor cabinet yet.
Click to expand...

Shhh, you'll fair turn my head, you will. Nah, I reached my majority in '80, so it was all legal. My youthful (alcohol-based) indiscretions involved some beer from my parents' basement and a 4' bottle of Galliano in a friend's house. There was sanctioned consumption of wine at dinner, and that was Charles Krug Zinfandel and Almaden French Colombard, both in jug. Oh, those were the days!

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Wow!guess I repressed the fact that people charged that much money 18 years ago
Click to expand...

Heh. Cabernet was going stratospheric starting in the late '80s, Steve (how soon we forget). I bought Caymus Cabs in the early '80s for $10.50 a bottle; by '91 they were selling for close to $60 a bottle. Since by that time I'd almost stopped buying CalCabs, it was a matter of little more than academic interest even then.
Click to expand...

My recollection is that the '90 was $11 or $12 at the Wine Club, that the '91 was maybe $16, and by '93 or '94 it was $60.
Click to expand...

Was that $16, delivered? OK, I'll go back home tonight and check my back issues of wine mags for the MSRP tonight. I recall quite distinctly that the '94 Caymus SS broke the $100 ceiling, but I can't recall exactly the disparity between the SS and the Estate (which is what I bought back then).

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
I recall quite distinctly that the '94 Caymus SS broke the $100 ceiling, but I can't recall exactly the disparity between the SS and the Estate (which is what I bought back then).
Click to expand...

Hadn't Opus 1 already done it?
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by MLipton:
I recall quite distinctly that the '94 Caymus SS broke the $100 ceiling, but I can't recall exactly the disparity between the SS and the Estate (which is what I bought back then).
Click to expand...

Hadn't Opus 1 already done it?
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

Here's a link to a 1998 Frank Prial article about $100+ 1994 California wines. It wasn't just Caymus SS. Prial says that Opus One was $90 in that vintage BTW.

Don't know if access to the article requires NYTimes registration.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:

My recollection is that the '90 was $11 or $12 at the Wine Club, that the '91 was maybe $16, and by '93 or '94 it was $60.
Click to expand...

Your recollection is better than mine, dear sir. Here's the raw data, gleaned from back issues of wine mags:

Caymus Estate SS
'87 $16 $50
'88 $19 $50
'89 $22 $60
'90 $16 $75
'91 $19 $100 (!!)
'92 $20 $100
'93 $25 $100
'94 $36 $100
'95 $65 (!!) $132

So, yes, the price increase of the normale was indeed later than I'd recalled, but the SS went stratospheric earlier than I remembered. Such is memory.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by SFJoe:

My recollection is that the '90 was $11 or $12 at the Wine Club, that the '91 was maybe $16, and by '93 or '94 it was $60.
Click to expand...

Your recollection is better than mine, dear sir. Here's the raw data, gleaned from back issues of wine mags:

Caymus Estate SS
'87 $16 $50
'88 $19 $50
'89 $22 $60
'90 $16 $75
'91 $19 $100 (!!)
'92 $20 $100
'93 $25 $100
'94 $36 $100
'95 $65 (!!) $132

So, yes, the price increase of the normale was indeed later than I'd recalled, but the SS went stratospheric earlier than I remembered. Such is memory.

Mark Lipton
Click to expand...
that's such great data. I love how they fearlessly raised prices right through from a decent vintage like '87 through really tough vintages like '88 and then again '89. Shows true fortitude and balls.

Wish I had that kind of pricing power in my market.
 
An unimportant piece of trivia: Back in the mid-90s, many California wineries were so eager to make their cabs (and other wines, but mostly cabs) better known in Europe that they had export tariffs for private customers that were significantly lower than domestic prices; they took into consideration the fact that it was relatively expensive to have the wine shipped all the way here. For several years I bought one case of Spottswoode cab every year, and you could have it air-shipped to Spain from Napa for about $100. Since they charged me something like $25 a bottle when it was already nearing $80, it was a pretty good bargain...
 
originally posted by David M. Bueker:
Silly trivia, but I don't Caymus actually released a 1993 Special Selection (my dad used to buy the Caymus wines back then).
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You may well be right, David. I was jotting those numbers down from memory, having neglected to bring up a paper and pen to the study where I keep all those back issues of WA and CGCW. Alas that such information isn't readily accessible on the Interwebs, although the website Global Wine Stocks is an interesting if somewhat wacky price tracking site.

Mark Lipton
 
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