Red wine

Enjoy the wines and the memories.

 

Thank you Serge. I am grateful for your notes and your story. I send my every good wish that there are more pleasant surprises in those beautiful bottles. Sante. Keith

 

And so today came ...

After years of staring at those two bottles of 1978 Petrus, today was the day to open one.

I figured I'd open the one who's label had come off.

Right off the bat the top of the cork had mold on it. Then for the first time that I can remember when I put the corkscrew on top of it, the tip pushed the cork straight down into the bottle as if the cork had been buttered. It took almost no pressure at all, it just slid down. I'm no sommelier but I figured that wasn't good ... I figured right.

I let it breathe for a couple of hours to no avail, it started out as vinegar and two hours later it was varnish. I worry sometimes that I'm not being too smart taking sips from these bottles when the smell tells me that the wine has obviously turned beyond comeback. Probably should look into it before death by rotten expensive wine.

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So that was unfortunate.

But then I said to myself I said, do I really want to wait in hope that the other bottle might have made it, or do I just want to know now?

John Cleese's wisdom in mind ...



... I decided to persevere and open the second one. Well, the good news is that I don't have to worry about hope any more, the bad news is that the despair is real.

It actually started much better with the second bottle. Although the top of the cork also had mold on it the corkscrew actually screwed down the whole way. Not only that but I actually managed to get it all out of the bottle, albeit in two parts. So the hope meter was actually trending upwards ... momentarily.

This one is also gone. I haven't had the heart to throw it out yet and I'll give it a couple of more hours, but I know it's not coming back.

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So that was may day. Anyone else pour $6k worth of wine down the sink? No? Super happy for you.

 

Omg. That is devastating. I’m so sorry.

 

I have a few questions:

1) Is Opus One Cabernet really that good?
2) Is it better than Caymus?
3) Is Caymus Cabernet special selection that much better than Caymus?

I have a couple bottles of Caymus cab at home and I’m looking for a more exclusive bottle if it’s worth the extra money.

 

Opus is very good, I would suggest a Caymus special selection bottle as a comparison first. The Caymus will have a more forward fruit , more chocolate , cedar, Leather, cassis nuances....as compared to the Opus. Is it better? Pending what you like and can identify with your cabernets as well as what your pairing with it...indoors dining vs. outside airs will affect your senses of the wine aromas too...is like is Louis Vuitton better than Prada?...you might want to try it (both bottles within a close time frame))...costs...Caymus SS...$150. Vs. OPUS...$325.
These days in Napa...better cabernets are all starting in the $150.+...Hope this info helps you...happy tastings!

 

Opus One is also unfiltered, so lots of solids/sediment.
I am a huge Caymus fan, and buy a case of regular Cabernet, and 2 @ O.W.C. cases of Special Selection every year/vintage.
The Special Selection is spectacular, and you will love it.
Another high end Napa cab to try is Schaefer "Hillside Select". But I always comeback to Caymus...... The Wagner's know how to make premium Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Not familiar with those wines. You would need 7-8 years at a minimum on an Opus One before it starts to develop. If you spend $300 and drink the Cab too young, it will not be as enjoyable It used to take some time to get on Shafer Hillside Select list. It is a separate mailing list from the other Shafer wines. Shafer is a great place to visit and a great story. I dropped off the list because you can find HSS (Hillside Select) at cheaper prices on the secondary market. Don't worry about provenance if you buy from a known retailer. Maybe look for vintages from 06, 08 or 11. Benchmark Wine is showing 11 HSS for 225 which is less than I paid on release.

A friend of mine bought 6-2002 HSS at release and drank 1 about 2 years later. He did not like it and thought it was too expensive. I told him to keep it and I would buy it in the future if he did not like it. He opened another one in 2010 and I offered to buy the rest. He wasn't selling...

 

I agree with you on time frame as most better cabernet need time....you can buy older cabernet from reputable shops on special occasions to compare or just because...

 

Was getting tired of getting my ass kicked by my own wine.

Time for a comeback with some bottles of my own stock, and it gave me a chance to use my new thingie.

Yummies!!!

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I hope you aren't drinking alone !

 

For the most part I am these days, hence the need for the newly acquired Coravin.

Mrs soulsea hasn't had a drink in her life and we're being super careful till it's our turn to get vaccinated.

Every once in a while I'll have a friend or two come over our place to have a bourbon, but other than that it is what it is. It will be nice to get back to socializing but I'm not complaining. We live in a beautiful place, have a nice car or two, and I get to enjoy some fancy booze every once in a while. Literally the luckiest people of earth.

The widget works really btw, just started working on the second half of the bottle.

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Reloading...

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Between the Dominus and the Quilceda, two of my favorites! The 2015 Dominus just entered the window IIRC. How was it? I have a case and was trying to give it time to set up properly.

 

It was truly wonderful, had that rare combination of a wine that is both substantive whilst maintaining very light fruity sense about it. Hope that makes sense, I'm not fluent in 'winespeak' so I just describe things with super basic words. Now do keep in mind the dark places I had been with wine just preceding its opening, so my judgment might have been slightly skewed, but I can't imagine it being more ready than it was. I have a bottle of 2008 still sitting around, I'm happy to open it and compare it from memory if that will help. It feels like that should be drank sooner rather than later.

 

You have nice selections, no need for formal adjectives...basic flavors and likes...

 

Yes, Yes, and Yes. All great wines, however there are many that are even better than these at comparable price points.

If you like Opus, I recommend you try Robert Mondavi Reserve to Kalon Vineyard. Some say it’s on par and at a much lower price point.

Also, my favorite wine, Dominus Estate. Blows opus out of the water and it’s between $200-300 bottle depending on vintage, 2016 is a 100 point wine.

Also, Saddleback is delicious and on par with Caymus, maybe even Caymus select and it’s between $55-$75.


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Broke out the baby bottle of Rioja. Very delicious wine at a great price point. Rated 96 points by RP.


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I read that sentence once, then again, then went back and read it a third time realizing I could have typed that myself. Thank you for reminding me to keep my eye on the ball.

 

I found a 2013 Silver Oak in the back of the big cooler and had it last weekend. It was fine. I also found a 40th anniversary special bottle of Caymus back there. I don't drink much Cali Cab at all (i guess not knowing I have the stuff until I'm rooting around looking for something else is proof). Stephanie add a Montelena to your tasting survey for a nice mid priced comparator. Used to be one of my favorites.

 

The 40th Anniversary Caymus with special label is a 2012.

 

seeing this late, but with older or delicate wines I try to avoid decanting whenever possible. Slowly oxygenating over a few hours sitting open on the counter is the way to go in my experience. Of course figuring out how long to slow-ox is a guessing game that usually only gets filled in with experience with said wine or similar wines.

(Only decant for sediment on older wines and then only right before serving/drinking).

Of course its always smart to stand up older bottles a few days before you intend to drink them to get the sediment to settle at the bottom and then pour very carefully of course.

 

no, no and no. (imho of course)

SS *used* to be a reserve bottling (a cream of the crop selection from the Estate vineyard) and it got longer oak time.

Of course the family figured out that it would be financially beneficial to get rid of the "Estate" bottling and simply take all the fruit from that vineyard and call it SS. Instant doubling+ of their revenue!

The wine is fine (if you like a lot of oak, as in silver oak level of oak).

The early bottles up to the combination of the Estate into the SS (which was so long ago I struggle to recall the year, but want to say '87) were standouts. I could count the number of SS's I've drunk on one hand after that time, none memorable. (Before that I was one of the original Caymus Club members and had cases and cases of their wines. Loved them and that place, especially the old tiny, rundown little tasting shack with a picnic table out back where we would spend hours on occasion. They used to have some pretty cool release parties, but I stopped being involved in '91 or so. Living an hour away had its benefits - and costs!)

 

@soulsea - wow what a read on those bottles and their history. I'm sure its quite a journey for you to try these. Wishing you luck with at least a few of them.

Heat is wines' worst enemy (among many). Irrecoverable from getting hot on a dock. (I've not much experience with high moisture, mold, mildew storage conditions, but I imagine those are equally deadly).