WTN: Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq cepages

[David M. Bueker]

• 1994 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages - USA, California, Sonoma County (7/16/2024)
  From my late father’s cellar, this was bought on release, was stored very well, and had a perfect cork. All that said I was a little apprehensive on first pour, as it was a touch muddy. I need not have worried, as after an hour of air it tightened up, and began to display much clearer Cabernet Sauvignon character. More tertiary on the nose than the palate, cedar, earth, and a touch of vanilla aromas give way to dark currant fruit and then tobacco, cedar, warm earth, and old oak on the palate. The structure is more acid than tannin, so I think drinking up is a good idea. Get while the getting is tasty.