Tried this last night w/ my OrangeMuscat cake:
1. CaymusVnyds JohannisbergRiesling NapaVlly LateHrvst SpecialSlctn (SaH: 29%; RS: 7%; 10.8%) 1982: Deep gold slight browning old TBA color; very intense botrytis/peach/apricotty some JR/floral slight herbal/rosemary creme brulee/honeyed/caramel some evergreen/Christmas tree/minty bit pencilly/cedary very complex beautiful nose; slightly sweet rather tart very strong botrytis/peachy/apricotty/fruit cocktail slight herbal/rosemary/minty bit earthy very complex flavor; very long/lingering intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty strong creme brulee/caramel/honeyed bit earthy/herbal/rosemary/minty/evergreen/piney very complex finish; an incredible mature BA that'll probably go another 10-15 yrs. $28.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Last btl, alas. I have a very complete colection of the first BA/TBA Rieslings made in Calif in the '70's-'80's that I need to taste thru sometime.
This BA was way/way better than I expected. Many Calif TBA's that are even less old than this Caymus take on a black color not unlike a PedroXimenez. This one was not like that at all...just a deep golden color. I attribute that to its high acidity and probably a high SO2 level at bottling. These old TBA's like this are often just huge botrytis/apricotty and not much else. This one was probably the most complex and well-preserved old Calif TBA I've yet had w/ lots of other things therein other than the botrytis. A pretty incredible example of an old Calif TBA.
Tom