Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 2

One sniff and it’s clear this is in perfect condition. Sweet black cherry, pipe tobacco, brown sugar, potpourri, touch of eucalyptus. Palate mirrors nose and thank goodness. Lovely acid, beautiful fresh fruit. What a gem, wow.

1978 vintage

gorgeous wine that needed plenty of time to wake up. Decanted at 9am and consumed at 1pm. It grew more and more in bottles as its edges focused and tannins softened. A wonderful round sweet minty expansive fruit and graphite that you only get in these older Napa wines. Dusty fine tannin frame the wine but don’t disturb from the plushness of the wine.

1978 vintage

30x California 1978 : So many wines from this great Californian vintage at the age of 45 certainly qualifies as a “once in a lifetime” event. A few observations: 1) The quality was very high (almost all my ratings above 90pts). And only four faulty wines (2x corked, 2x over the hill/flawed, sadly those two were the Ridge Monte Bello and the Phelps Insignia). 2) The wines are ready to drink, the tannins have melted but the tension and freshness …

1978 vintage

30x California 1978 : So many wines from this great Californian vintage at the age of 45 certainly qualifies as a “once in a lifetime” event. A few observations: 1) The quality was very high (almost all my ratings above 90pts). And only four faulty wines (2x corked, 2x over the hill/flawed, sadly those two were the Ridge Monte Bello and the Phelps Insignia). 2) The wines are ready to drink, the tannins have melted but the tension and freshness …

1978 vintage

1978 California Cabernet Horizontal : Cranberries, redcurrant, medium bodied but very elegant and still drinking very well

1978 vintage

1978 California Cabernet Horizontal : Very similar to the regular Cab, the Lot 2 exhibits the same red fruit but with just a smidge more weight on the palate. Still quite youthful and from pristine bottles well within its prime.

1978 vintage

California 1978 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich) : Grand tasting of 1978 California wines, mostly from Napa. Main takeaways: i/ surprisingly high quality on average for wines that were not intended for such long-term aging with plenty of primary fruit left, ii/ but within the detail nonetheless a broad range with the worst few suffering from clear signs of fatigue while the best showed hardly age, iii/ top wines were Phelps Cab Sauv (97), Firestone Cab Sauv (95), and Beaulieu George …

1978 vintage

California 1978 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich) : Grand tasting of 1978 California wines, mostly from Napa. Main takeaways: i/ surprisingly high quality on average for wines that were not intended for such long-term aging with plenty of primary fruit left, ii/ but within the detail nonetheless a broad range with the worst few suffering from clear signs of fatigue while the best showed hardly age, iii/ top wines were Phelps Cab Sauv (97), Firestone Cab Sauv (95), and Beaulieu George …

1978 vintage

You like classic Cali Cabernet? This is for you. Cedar, plump sweet currant fruit, wisps of mint and other herbs combine in the sauna, so friendly and sunny, but serious and powerful too. A beautiful time capsule.

1978 vintage

At Skinner pre-auction tasting, Newton, Mass.: My first impression was that the wine smells of glue. I got past that and found a mellow wine with fully integrated tannins, not huge, pleasant to drink but certainly past its prime.

1978 vintage

garnet with brick rim - mature cabernet nose with lots of complex aromas: earth, coffee, chocolate - full rich body with very good fruit-acid-tannin balance - not the biggest Stags Leap cab, but an elegant wine that has evolved nicely over the last 4 decades

1978 vintage

Sadly oxed....

1978 vintage

Still drinking well. Round and balanced mix of fruit and velvety tannin. A worthy tribute to the 1973 that won the judgement of Paris

1978 vintage

Fun to try. We let it sit open for a couple hours before drinking. Initially the wine had a bit of barnyard funkiness (manure) on the nose but this blew off and it was lovely drinking. Black ripe fruits, earthiness, smooth finish. Really enjoyed this one. Tasty.

1978 vintage

Opened and let breathe in the bottle for around 2 hours. For it's age the wine had good color with minimal browning. Nice mature palate with good fruit, balanced acid and some earthiness. Quite enjoyable. Not going to get any better with additional age but based upon this bottle there are still a few years of life left.

1978 vintage

WIML93 Tasted non blind. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of barnyard, white pepper, Kirsch and wet stones. Flavors of Kirsch, black berries and boysenberries. Tart acidity, resolved tannin, full bodied. Drink now. Madison offline

1978 vintage

Beautiful black fruited aromatics. Minty palate.

1978 vintage

Bright, punchy fruit with good spiciness, some chocolate/cherry cordial sweetness, tangy acidity. An unusual oceanic kind of vibe like you might see in Chablis lends additional interest. Another perfectly mature old Cab - nowhere near decline. From a bottle with fill well into the neck and sound cork.

1978 vintage

Paperwork not handy, but I bought an unopened cardboard 12b-case at a Chicago auction (not CWC) about 20 years ago--I'd guess 300 for the case or less plus buyer's premium and sales tax. Decanted with normal sediment for its age. Deep ruby with an amber edge; fragrant red fruit--redcurrant, some cranberry--and some brett; still solid mature fruit--brett evident but receded some over 2 hours. Not perfect but still delicious and remarkable. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. …

1978 vintage

Wild one here, with a crazyy bouquet of bouillabaisse and lobster bisque, maybe even seared scallops. Everyone smells it. Maritime and seabreezey, not sure I've ever had a red smell like this. Beautiful, silky, integrated, bright, smokey wine here, not quite as thrilling as the Heitz or Montelena, but a complete, lovely wine. 93-94 pts.

1978 vintage

Opened for my 60th birthday. Cork fell apart but managed to get it all out. Strong color for age. Nice cab aroma. Long finish - some oak.

1978 vintage

Past its prime. But still had some life left.

1978 vintage

Double decanted. Ruby color. Nose of earth and red cherry with some minerality . Similar palate with terrific fruit given its age. Tannins resolved. Lovely elegant wine. Thanks to Rich and Paula for bringing this gem.

1978 vintage

Opened at 3:15 - drank well straight from the bottle as suggested by Marcus Notaro the winemaker at Stags Leap who we spoke with as we tasted this wine. Notes taken 1 hour after opening. Deep ruby red in color. Earth, mushroom, mint, cocoa and coffee on the nose. Flavors include dark fruits, cherries, cocoa powder, earth and plums. Tasted in a vertical with the 1977. The 77 is much fruitier and 78 much earthier.

1978 vintage

Cork crumbled and needed decanting (with a filter), the wine is pale ruby with a little bricking at the rim, wonderful aroma of earth and berries. On the palate, it is a smooth, fully resolved wine with lots of secondary and tertiary layers of flavor. Complexity, balance, fruit and structure with a long finish. I just love California wines from the seventies

1978 vintage

Pretty red currant fruit, herbal nuances, some walnut character. Concentrated, medium bodied, tannins mostly resolved, and what tannins are there are silky smooth and give the wine a wonderful elegance. Lovely.

1978 vintage

From a pristine bottle with a mid-neck fill, this wine had a red/purple center with red/orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose displayed black cherries, coco powder, plums, and some forest floor scents. This wine looked strong so i gave it several hours of air. In the mouth, it was rich and ripe and yet also had that trademark Stag's leap refined and balanced texture. As it aired, the wine became juicer and more impressive. The tannins were quite ripe and …

1978 vintage

From an excellent looking bottle with a mid-neck fill, this wine had a deep red center and orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose displayed black cherries, mocha, soil, and some Provencal herbs. While not bad right after decanting, this wine improved markedly with 3+ hours of air. In the mouth, this wine was silky and seductive on the attack with a rich mid-palate and a long finish. Given its silky texture, it might be easy to guess this was a …

1978 vintage

1978 California Cabernet horizontal (Il Corso.) : Impeccably stored given the fill level, which was well into the neck. It's exactly what you want out of an aged California Cabernet. It showed wonderfully fragrant aromas of sweet cherries, cedar, herb with a hint of chocolate and earth tones. Mature and integrated on the palate with just a touch of rusticity. The fruit is ripe, but not overly so and has that nicely burnished feel to it that only comes from …

1978 vintage

Unfortunately, another good looking bottle was flawed (same source). The color was as it should be with a deep red center and tawny rims. While there is substantial ripe cherry fruit in the nose, it is mostly masked by heavy volatile acidity smells. In the mouth the wine is in great shape with a silky texture, soft round tannin, and some length. But the VA is a killler.

1978 vintage

From a bottom neck fill bottle, this wine looked strong with a deep red center and a touch of orange at the rims. The nose was odd right out of the gate but it tasted great so I thought it would blow off. Unfortunately, I was wrong, as off flavors grew, the texture became disjointed, and the finish became shorter.

1978 vintage

Excellent condition and beautiful.

1978 vintage

Another great bottle next to the 77, with similar profile except that it had a very refreshing acidity when first poured but that went away after a little bit of time in the glass, making it seem a little tired. Slightly prefer the 77 over this.

1978 vintage

Some American Cabs at Roger's (Roger's House) : This might have seen better days, but it also showed pretty well for a wine past thirty years. Not a ton of fruit left, but still showing a little elegance. Red fruits. This wine can hold it's head high.

1978 vintage

CellarTracker Texas Offline II - Part One (oskiwawa's house in McKinney, Texas) : Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of dried herbs, leather and berries. Flavors of berries, raspberries and a hint of cherries. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink now. 91.

1978 vintage

CT Texas Offline #2; 11/5/2010-11/6/2010 (McKinney, TX) : Medium ruby color, minimal shading to garnet. Simple, fully mature, but still showing fine depth. Fall leaves and drying tannins through the lingering finish. Pleasingly sweet fruit emerges late. On the edge of slipping away, but still showing class. A treat.

1978 vintage

1978 Cabernets (and Cab Blends) - Retrospective Tasting (Palo Alto, California) : Group's #1 (my #1) – 39 pts; 3 1st place votes, 4 2nd place votes, 1 third, 0 last places – Medium red violet color with pale meniscus; ripe plum, vanilla oak and ripe cassis nose; tasty, youthful, tart cassis with herbs palate with good body; medium-plus finish 92+ pts.

1978 vintage

This bottle was opened at the wine dinner with rack of lamb. Nice fruity cabernet nose, ripe but not forward, led to a delicious, viscous young mouthful of elegant cabernet fruit, well balanced, good flavors, long pleasant finish and aftertaste, will keep for five more years.

1978 vintage

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Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 2

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