Jeff’s Corner

Last week, I received an inquiry from a Wine Club member in Austin regarding the age worthiness of some of our Black Label red wines he had collected over the years. I gave him conservative parameters.

I was conservative at the end of my answer as well: “Keep in mind, all the wine you have is very drinkable now. What happens in a bottle over time is always unpredictable. Also, we first produced Mosaic and Bellissimo in 2004, and Serendipity in 2007. It’s not like we can pull the cork on a 20 year old bottle and see what’s going on. I’ve kept wine too long and it is always frustrating when I do.”

So, I was both excited and apprehensive when Brian (right after the above response) gave me a bottle of 2007 Cabernet Trois to take home and check out. By the way, I feel ’07 was perhaps one of our finest vintages. It gave us the first Serendipity, a legendary Bellissimo, my favorite Cabernet/Syrah ever, and an outstanding Cab Trois.

I last tasted the ’07 Cab Trois in 2012 at our staff Christmas party at Brian’s house. It was in its prime, and Jason commented that he didn’t think it had peaked yet. Well, don’t ever question he who made it.

It was truly stunning! When I pulled the cork last Saturday, the bottom of it was stained almost black. In my pic, when we see the wine on its side, the depth of color extraction is unbelievable. It is an intense black/garnet in the bowl, with the rim showing the textbook brick colors of a fully mature wine.

Layers of rich spice and black fruit dominated the nose; with lots of cinnamon, clove, and tobacco merging with blackberry, black cherry and plum. The aromas had not faded a bit.

Even after 9 years in the bottle, the balance was magnificent. The fruit and spice had great symmetry, with lively acids that were well integrated with mature tannins. The finish was long, with a plush, silky elegance.

Aye Caramba! This wine isn’t done yet; it could go a couple more years…
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