Since I was home all day cooking turkey, I had plenty of time to decant my last half-bottle of 1997 Duckhorn Cabernet (for three hours). What a difference it made to let this wine breathe longer. While the wine was still tight after two hours of being open the last time, this time it opened up nicely after three hours, with a clean richness and beautiful fruits on the palette, along with the expected Napa Valley complexity. This was winemaker Tom Rinaldi’s last great vintage at Duckhorn before moving to Provenance Vineryards, and I must say “well done”. (By the way, 15 years is about all you can really expect from a half bottle, but this one would have gone two more.) I also have to agree with Wine Spectator ranking the 2004 Pio Cesar Barolo at the number six spot in their 2008 top 100 list – this wine is drinking quite nicely right now.
1997 Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (half bottle)
2004 Pio Cesar Barolo (half bottle - WS #6 in 2008)
2002 J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
NV Piper Heidsieck Champagne (aged 6 years)
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