1992 Cabs and Blends

[winoweenie]

After answering the query about birthday wines I`ve decided to taste all of the 92`s I`ve cellared. I, for one, happened to have a liking for the wines produced in 92. Seems that a vintage that produces wines of great balance like thew 92`s are generally regarded as not being candidates for extended ageing. The same problem was associated with 73, 75,79,81,( 73,79 & 81 in Calif, 81 & 83 in Bordeaux.) I`ve founf IMHO that a wine that has great balance and drinks well as a baby is a super candidate for ageing. If any-ones interested I`ll start and report my tasting results. Please join in with your tasting of any of the 92`s. I`ll start alphebetically with Anderson`s Conn Valley Reserve, a stunning wine. Winoweenie

[Bucko]

WW, you make a lot of sense when you are sober.... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img] I could not agree with you more. The highly touted 1985 vintage wines are falling apart, almost without exception. The 1984 vintage, described as soft and forward, is still drinking well.

Bucko

[Innkeeper]

Don't have any '92s, buy do have a couple of '91s hanging around. One is Optima, Alexander Valley, and the other is Guilliams, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District. If y'all are getting into your '92s, should I be cracking the '91s. What ever happen to aging?

[winoweenie]

Bucko, Well put. The 84`s are drinking beautifully and the 85`s , even Diamond Creeks , Caymus SS, and Mondavi Reserve are all on the down-hill slide.Here`s my report from last nites bottle; Andersons` Conn Valley Reserve. Deep ruby. No signs of ageing at the rim. Cherry, Black Fruits, and Spices jump out of the glass.Big entry with a very solid center palate feel and a finish I describe as a four-lapper.( Four brushes of the tongue on the upper teeth )On-and-on.Still tannins to lose. Plenty of fruit to see this luscious bottle to peak in another 7-10 years. A Fine, Fine Wine. Winoweenie

[winoweenie]

Innkeeper, Not familiar with the Guilliams but the Optima is normally a wine I drink from 7-10 years from Vintage. The 92 tasting is just to see how the individual wines are coming along. Tonight I`m opening an Araujo. I`ll report tomorrow.Winoweenie Did I mention I`m Doing this in alphabetical order? WW

[winoweenie]

Notes on the Araujo. Deep clear ruby. No sign of age. Sweet, Fruity, Spicy nose that`s a charactistic of the Eisele fruit.Soft, silky tannins.Extremely well balanced with soft approachable tannins that let the lush, ripe fruit come thru.Elegance personified. Long, long finish.Definately my style of powerful juice that is full-bodied and a canidate for long-term cellaring. Winoweenie

[winoweenie]

Arrowood 92. " Still deep ruby. No Browning Spice seems to envelop a core of brite cherry, cassis and vanilla.A solid entry that coats the tongue with multiple flavors, a strong center, and a marvelous , long finish.Still needs time.Dick has done himself proud with this fine effort. Try in 2. winoweenie

[anna]

*sigh* Winoweenie, you're making me thirsty.... All I can say is, I'll be waiting with bated breath for you to reach the '92 Ridge Monte Bello! I have one bottle of it, and I'm seriously thinking of popping it open and posting the TN's here just because I'm impatient! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

[winecollector]

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but with all the 92's alone that Winoweenie must have to open, it's starting to make my cellar look like I can keep it in a shoebox!

Anna- You might want to go ahead and open yours. By the time he gets to the < R's >, figuring a couple days for wines beginning with each letter prior to < R >, my guess is that he'll get to the Ridge Monte Bello sometime next spring! I think Foodie should have posting number 2000 by then....

[winoweenie]

92 Beaulieu " Tapestry " This wine is so smooth you have to pay attention or you`ll forgety you`re drinkin. Of the terrific 10 Meritages this surely has to rank up there, if for nothing else than it`s 19 buck price tag.Pretty clear ruby color, and a nose of flowers, ( Cab Franc ), Spices ( Cab & Petite Verdot )Vanilla ( Oak ) all come thru on the palate. Silky is the only word to describe the entry, middle, and the fairly long finish. Not quite as powerful as some of the later bottlings, but a dern- good drink as we say in Shawnee. Winoweenie

[winoweenie]

WC and Anna, Don`t open the Ridge yet> I looked up my last notes on the 92 and it wasn`t close to being ready. Don`t kill them babies! 4 down and 60 to go. Are we having Fun yet?? Winoweenie

[winecollector]

Just having some fun with you, Winoweenie! Actually, I hardly have any 91's or 92's of anything, since they were not very good vintages worldwide. I've got plenty of 89's & 90's, a few 93's & 94's, and then stocked up again on 95's & 96's. I also bought very few Californian wines prior to the 95' vintage, only because I'm more partial to Italian, Australian, Bordeaux & Portugese wines.

I just remembered- I do have a 92 Meritage from California. I think it's Jekel? Maybe I'll open that tomorrow night and see how it is. It will probably be September or October before you get to the 'J's'....

[winoweenie]

What a Bummer! 92 Beaulieu GLT " Reserve" CORKED. 1st bottle in over 7 years from my cellar. Wasn`t bad enough to pour out but not up to the quality expected. So , up-ward abd on-ward. 92 Beringer " Knights Valley " A very solid effort that has good ruby color, definative cabernet nose with a slight nudge to oak. Not intrusive but a component that marries well with the fruit and spices. Nice entry, a good center and a decent finish. Has done a good job of ageing and a really nice bottle for around 12 bucks. Winoweenie

[winoweenie]

WC, Both 91 and 92 were outstanding vintages in Calif. I.E. the message " 91 and 92 were not good vintages world-wide " should have the disclaimer EXCEPT IN THAT WONDERFUL WINE-GROWING AREA OF CALIFORNIA.

[winoweenie]

7/6/00 92 Beringer " Pvt. Reserve " Almost opaque.Huge nose.Lots of stuffin` here. Entry features tons of black cherry fruit, berries,and almost an impression of sweetness.The center s solid as a rockand the finish approaches the legendaty 5-Lapper! Racy, Spicy nuances. The impression of chocolate, vanilla and all the other 28 Baskin flavors. This puppy will go the distance but who the devil has that kind of will-power to stay away from this lovely bottle? Winoweenie

[winoweenie]

7/7. 92 Burgess " Vintage Selection ".Nice medium ruby color. The normal restrained Burgess nose that reveals, with air, brite red cherry fruit,spices, and vanilla nuances with which Tom`s cabs are blessed. Good entry, medium center and a solid finish.As usual, a good-value wine from one of Napas`older producers that consistantly outperforms more expensive bottling in both ageability and drinkability.Winoweenie

[winoweenie]

7/9. 92 Caymus " Napa ".Opaque center that goes to deep ruby at the rim. Red fruits are joined by exotic spices, vanilla, and a hint of menthol.A silky entry, very solid center palate, with an exceptional finish.Close to the legendary 5-lapper.Soft, round tannins are barely noticable.This wine is close to the top of it`s game, but has enough fruit to go another 7-10.After 1 hour in the glass the tart cherry changed to plummy black fruit enveloped by a spicy package.As usual, a marvelous effort by young Chuck. Winoweenie.

[winoweenie]

For any-one interested I`ll be on break from today 7/12 thru 7/15 at which time we`ll start again. Winoweenie

[Wallace]

I couldn't stand it anymore. Had to invite winoweenie to join for dinner this coming Friday eve. And can you believe he asked me to pick four 92's that we will be required to taste. Hee hee. The bad part about all this is it appears I need to slam down a few cases of my 85's.

[winecollector]

I realize it's a tough job, but I guess I could coax myself into helping you slurp down some of those 85's you really need to get rid of....