1977 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Glen Ellen Vineyards
BY ANTONIO GALLONI |
The 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon Glen Ellen Vineyards from Chateau St. Jean is fabulous. Still deep, potent and massively structured, the 1977 is a real powerhouse. I can hardly imagine what it might have tasted like as a young wine! Dark fleshed fruit, iron, dried herbs, leather, spice and menthol give this virile, savory Cabernet myriad shades of dimension. At a spry 44 years of age, the 1977 retains considerable freshness and enough depth to drink well for many years to come. It is a fabulous example of this era of California and Sonoma Valley wine. Readers lucky enough to still own it are in for a treat. What a wine. 94/Drink 2021-2031.
Richard Arrowood made the 1977 during his distinguished tenure at Chateau St. Jean. He describes 1977 as a cool vintage with a long growing season. “Back in the day, it seems to me that the growing seasons were longer, and when the fruit reached physiological maturity, the brix levels were somewhat lower than what we still see today,” Arrowood told me recently. “If memory serves, that block [the west facing hillside across from the winery] always yielded wonderfully low pHs, high acids and proper sugar levels, from which I think it gave consistently outstanding results year in and year out. Mother Nature and [viticulturist] Phil [Coturri] gave us beautiful fruit and it was up to me to express its qualities or screw it up. Fortunately God protects fools and little children, and we were usually successful!”
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Needless to say, readers who own or can find the 1977 will enjoy more than a wine, as the 1977 represents a piece of history.
