Another superb vintage yielded ripe, full-bodied, well-structured wines. An extended growing season began with the earliest bud break in recent history, followed by warm temperatures through March and April, cool temperatures that enhanced flavor development through the summer, and then warm temperatures again in time for full maturity at harvest. For the first time, wines produced from the Bancroft Ranch Vineyard, including 1 percent of Cabernet Franc, were added to the Private Reserve along with wines from Chabot, State Lane and St. Helena Home vineyards. The wine is always a show-stopper, complex and rich in flavor. The oak is not pronounced; the tannins are slightly ripe and the fruit is juicy and vibrant.
Note: Wine Spectator Wine of the Year in 1990
PR Cab components: 42% St Helena Home, 23% State Lane, 21% Bancroft Ranch, 14% Chabot, 1% Cabernet Franc
- Dried cherry, sundried tomatoes, leather, minty, peppery qualities, soy
- Dried herbs, maple/ unsulfured molasses, caramelized sugar
- Tasted it in 2000 and it is doing better now, much more classic vintage (less California-ish)
Drink or hold comments: Drink or hold
1977
