Sullivan Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Rutherford, Napa Valley, California, USA
Picked this up this week at K&L Wine Merchants because the bottle was in pristine shape. The neck fill was the same as it was the day it was bottled. I love 1980’s Napa & Bordeaux wines. Really appreciate the ABV of that era, 13.6%. Additionally, I’m always motivated to try producers I haven’t had before. Further, as I swirl my glass, I think to myself, what was I doing the year an old wine was made? Memories?
I figured with the bottles age, I would use my Durand corkscrew. But after pulling it, I realized I didn’t need to use it. Better safe than sorry! The cork was in perfect shape.
The wine still shows good life. The fruit is ripe & fresh with some dark spice, earthiness & shades of dark tannins.
The nose reveals a little barnyard from being in the bottle so long. It needed to stretch a bit and has calmed some. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black raspberries, well extracted pomegranate with hints of blueberries & rhubarb. Black, rich earth, eucalyptus, steeped black tea, dark, red liqueured notes, anise, understated vanilla, clove, nutmeg, shades of black olive, cedar, soft leathery notes, mid intensity dark spice, limestone, dry, crushed, rock powder, dry herbs, dry stems with bright, red, dark, fresh & withering flowers framed in a field of violets.
The body has leaned with age but, is fresh & clean as it glides over the palate. It shows some barnyard on the palate as well. Tannins are largely resolved but, by no means is this wine over the hill. Past its prime, yes. However, that’s what makes it infinitely more interesting, complex and a welcome change of pace. This bottle certainly will not improve but, would still drink well for another five years. Ripe, floral, blackberries, bright; dark cherries, strawberries & cherries. Black raspberries, black plum, well extracted pomegranate, raspberries with hints of blueberries & rhubarb. Forest floor with dry leaves, eucalyptus, steeped black tea, dark, red liqueured notes, red cola, anise, understated vanilla, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, some caramel, shades of black olive, cedar, soft leathery notes, dry tobacco, mid intensity dark spice, limestone, dry, crushed, rock powder, dry herbs, mint, dry stems with bright, red, dark, fresh & withering flowers framed in a field of violets & lavender. The acidity is excellent...like a cool stream. The long finish is clean, fresh, elegant, well knitted and persists on the palate minutes with medium, dark, gently heated spices on the long set.
I did not decant this bottle at the start. I wanted to see if it would improve or fade in the glass first. As it turned out, decanting this nearly 35 years old was still the correct decision.
Photos of; Sullivan Vineyards, private tasting/dinning room, current Winemaker- Jeff Cole and their Estate vines as view from their terrace.
Picked this up this week at K&L Wine Merchants because the bottle was in pristine shape. The neck fill was the same as it was the day it was bottled. I love 1980’s Napa & Bordeaux wines. Really appreciate the ABV of that era, 13.6%. Additionally, I’m always motivated to try producers I haven’t had before. Further, as I swirl my glass, I think to myself, what was I doing the year an old wine was made? Memories?
I figured with the bottles age, I would use my Durand corkscrew. But after pulling it, I realized I didn’t need to use it. Better safe than sorry! The cork was in perfect shape.
The wine still shows good life. The fruit is ripe & fresh with some dark spice, earthiness & shades of dark tannins.
The nose reveals a little barnyard from being in the bottle so long. It needed to stretch a bit and has calmed some. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black raspberries, well extracted pomegranate with hints of blueberries & rhubarb. Black, rich earth, eucalyptus, steeped black tea, dark, red liqueured notes, anise, understated vanilla, clove, nutmeg, shades of black olive, cedar, soft leathery notes, mid intensity dark spice, limestone, dry, crushed, rock powder, dry herbs, dry stems with bright, red, dark, fresh & withering flowers framed in a field of violets.
The body has leaned with age but, is fresh & clean as it glides over the palate. It shows some barnyard on the palate as well. Tannins are largely resolved but, by no means is this wine over the hill. Past its prime, yes. However, that’s what makes it infinitely more interesting, complex and a welcome change of pace. This bottle certainly will not improve but, would still drink well for another five years. Ripe, floral, blackberries, bright; dark cherries, strawberries & cherries. Black raspberries, black plum, well extracted pomegranate, raspberries with hints of blueberries & rhubarb. Forest floor with dry leaves, eucalyptus, steeped black tea, dark, red liqueured notes, red cola, anise, understated vanilla, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, some caramel, shades of black olive, cedar, soft leathery notes, dry tobacco, mid intensity dark spice, limestone, dry, crushed, rock powder, dry herbs, mint, dry stems with bright, red, dark, fresh & withering flowers framed in a field of violets & lavender. The acidity is excellent...like a cool stream. The long finish is clean, fresh, elegant, well knitted and persists on the palate minutes with medium, dark, gently heated spices on the long set.
I did not decant this bottle at the start. I wanted to see if it would improve or fade in the glass first. As it turned out, decanting this nearly 35 years old was still the correct decision.
Photos of; Sullivan Vineyards, private tasting/dinning room, current Winemaker- Jeff Cole and their Estate vines as view from their terrace.