TN: Two 22-year olds for our Chanukah Party

[zin1953]

1986 Johnson Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled, Vineyard Selection 82 (Napa Valley AVA, California): In the “old” days, what is now Turnbull Wine Cellars used to be Johnson-Turnbull Vineyards, and had the well-deserved reputation as “the Poor Man’s Martha’s Vineyard.” (It was either Norm Roby or Jerry Mead who came up with that, IIRC.) Part of the estate vineyard was planted in 1967, and part in 1982. This wine was made from the then-young vines. The wine was opened and decanted shortly thereafter, leaving behind ample sediment in the bottle. The wine was a deep, dusty garnet in color, with some brick at the rim; at 22 years of age, the bouquet is classic, mature Cabernet with cedar, cassis, red fruits, leather, and that menthol-eucalyptus-mint accent, combined with moderate oak, earth and more spice; on the palate, the wine is supple, smooth, and very flavorful, with no signs of being tired or over-the-hill; the wine shows good depth, layering, and is well-balanced, with a long and flavorful finish. Excellent. (13.2% abv)

1986 Ravenswood Zinfandel, Dickerson Vineyard (Napa Valley AVA, California): Again, opened and decanted, with a lot of finely-grained sediment left behind in the bottle, and attached to the inside of the glass. Dark garnet-hued, clean and clear; the bouquet was more “vinous” than “Zinfandel,” in that it was clearly wine, it was clearly sound, but it was also rather muted and non-specific; on the palate, however, this was clearly Zinfandel in the Ridge/Ravenswood mode – that is, more claret-like, rather than “over-the-top,” and/or “in your face”; lots of spice, berries, moderate oak, with a hint of raisins, leather, and more; the finish was rich, flavorful, and spicy. Very fine indeed. (13.8% abv)

Cheers,
Jason

[Frodnesor]

What's your take on more recent vintages of Ravenswood? A local shop is doing inventory clearance and has several 2002-2005 single-vineyard zins on sale. The Dickerson has always been a favorite of mine (funny you mention menthol-eucalyptus-mint in the other TN, as I almost always get those notes in the Dickerson) but I haven't had many of these for a while and accounts have been decidedly mixed. Josh Raynolds at IWC still loves them, but Parker and Spectator have panned most recent vintages (as did Maria Lorraine!).

[zin1953]

Let's just say "Ravenswood is not my favorite." I vastly prefer current Zinfandels from Storrs -- see "Two 17-Year Olds for our Chanukah Party"; http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/583460 -- as well as Ridge, Dashe, Storybrook Mountain . . . .

Cheers,
Jason

[Foodandwine]

Jason, how did they pair with the Latkes???