I seldom take lunch, much less long lunch with wine, but Mark & John offered me an irresistible chance to taste a lineup of 1977 CalCabs. I jumped the train 2 stops to Irvington, and crossed the tracks to MP Taverna. While we were gathering we had the 2002 Piper-Heidsieck “Rare” Champagne. Full, toasty, smoky, with pit fruit and pear, good acid spine, elegant mousse, excellent length. A-
We had openers of tzatziki , eggplant puree, & chickpea puree. Then they brought out Herbert the suckling pig, and the chef Michael Psilakis described the various ways he would send the pig out. While we awaited the pork we were also offered Greek salad, sausage, octopus with chickpea salad, calamari, green beans.Then came the series of pig courses- Skin, crispy bits & foreshank, pork ribs, chipotle spiced pork with lettuce to wrap, risotto, Gyro spices and tortillas, and roast pork. Yum
And the wines were tasty too:
1977 Jordan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
Tart yet with some richness, dried cherry, tastes like a good aged Chianti. B/B+
1977 Kenwood “Jack London Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Plummy red fruit, a little green, tart. Pretty acidic, quite young. Table liked more than I did B/B_
1977 Martin Ray Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (assumed going in Santa Cruz, but this was Napa from Howell and Steltzner)
Pretty oxidized, some green underneath, not a fan. C+/C
1977 Mount Eden “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz)
Richer, mature but not tired, black fruit and floral notes. A-
1977 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain) (in a PN/Chardonnay bottle, John theorized they just ran out of Bdx bottles)
Some liked but I thought pruney with clear VA. I usually like Burgess of this era (for the price). C+
1977 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
Lean and a little green (eucalyptus) but with long complex finish. B+
1977 Ridge “York Creek” Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
Fully mature but quite complex, black fruit and cigarbox, spice, and coffee. Good length,. A-
1977 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
Table favorite. Delicious sweet red fruits, good acids, good finish, I just thought a little more straightforward fruit-driven than some others. A-/B+
1977 Heitz Cellar “Bella Oaks Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Delicious, red cherry fruit with a distinct red appleskin note, citrus zest, smoke. Earthy, rich, long. A-/A
1977 Robert Mondavi “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
Cassis and black cherry, leather, earth- great flavors but not as long as some others this day. B+/B
1977 Ch. Montelena “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
I think I liked better than table. Blackcurrant and plum, leather, some tannin still. A-
1977 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Mount Veeder)
Nose great, but pretty tight & structured on the palate. To me this is still about potential- B for now, A potential.
1977 Diamond Creek Red Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
Good nose of coffee and dark fruits, interesting palate with earth and cassis, but just a touch dried out. B
1977 Heitz Cellar “Martha’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Good looking bottle but clearly compromised, some maderization. NR
1977 Joseph Phelps “Eisele Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
I didn’t really give this enough time, nice mocha and black fruit nose, some tannins , a bit hard at moment but I heard opened up. For me B
Great showing overall, nice group, fun way to spend afternoon.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.