WTN: JosephPhelps Delice du Semillon '85...(short/boring)

Tried this last night with the Pig+Fig carrot cake:
1. JosephPhelpsVnyds Delice du Semillon NapaVlly (13.0%; RS: 10.3%; 4% SauvBlanc) 1985: Very dark brown/PX-color; intense butterscotchy/caramel/toasty/Fr.oak/pencilly very intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty/orange marmalade slight volatile some complex nose; fairly tart/tangy intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty/very honeyed/orangey strong caramel/butterscotch/Fr.oak fairly sweet slight volatile/fumey fairly complex flavor; very long/lingering very intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty/honeyed fairly sweet tart/tangy some caramel/Fr.oak/pencilly bit earthy finish; will go another 10-20 yrs; totally dominated by the botrytis and not the evolution/complexity of a 35 yr old Sauternes; a terrific dessert wine w/ no signs of oxidation but definitely not a Sauternes. $8.75/hlf
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This wine is pretty typical of an old Calif botrytis wine, be it Riesling or Semillon. The botrytis just keeps getting more & more strong but it never seems to develop the complexity of an old Sauternes or a German BA/TBA. And probably never will.
This was a gift from Stacey from the BlairSwartz cellar. Blair was very fond of dessert wines and he still has a bunch remaining.
Tom

I haven't tried this exact wine, but I went through a time when I bought a ton of old dessert wines out of California and Washington. I've found dessert wines from the USA do not hold their value at auction. I picked up a few Chalk Hill Semillon Late Harvest wines that were amazing, but I'm with you, many of them just didn't hold up well.

Thank you for the note, this is a birth year wine for my wife, so if I ever see it at auction I will likely buy it, but now I know what I'd be getting...

I haven't tried this exact wine, but I went through a time when I bought a ton of old dessert wines out of California and Washington. I've found dessert wines from the USA do not hold their value at auction. I picked up a few Chalk Hill Semillon Late Harvest wines that were amazing, but I'm with you, many of them just didn't hold up well.

Thank you for the note, this is a birth year wine for my wife, so if I ever see it at auction I will likely buy it, but now I know what I'd be getting...

Well, Kasey...not sure I'd say they don't hold up well. This wine showed no signs of falling apart. They just don't show a whole lot of evolution or complexity as they age, unlike a French Sauternes or German Riesling.
Tom

True, I misspoke. They survive, but many of them that I have had just did not grow in depth as I had hoped. There are some exceptions, but many are just alright...

True, I misspoke. They survive, but many of them that I have had just did not grow in depth as I had hoped. There are some exceptions, but many are just alright...

Yup... with that I agree, Kasey.
Tom

It just so happens that I got to try the '85 Beringer Nightingale this summer (under very unusual circumstances). Very impressive wine, but it did not have the complexity that even modest old Sauternes have.