1992 and 2002 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon

Over the years I have been fortunate to taste more than my
fair share of Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignons. These rugged hillside sites on
Mount Veeder are capable of yielding some of the most intriguing and age worthy
Cabernets in Napa Valley. When the wines are on, they can be magnificent and at
times even profound. But Mayacamas Cabernets also show a high level of
variability, much of that the result of bottling cask by cask, a practice that
was once common throughout the wine world, but that is now rarely seen at top
estates. As Mayacamas fans know, one of the allures of the estate is that Bob
Travers and his family pretty much left things alone during their period of
ownership, which spanned more than fifty years from 1967 to 2013. I tasted
these two wines during a visit to the property in September 2014. Other
bottles, also from the estate’s library, have been less impressive.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1411959253785-MayacamasPix+624px.jpg"> 

The 2002 Cabernet
Sauvignon is just beginning to enter the early part of its maturity, but
ideally it needs more time in bottle. A refined, lifted wine, the 2002 Cabernet
Sauvignon is fleshy and racy, but not as rich or ample in style as most wines
of the year. As deeply satisfying and pleasurable as the 2002 is today, its
best days almost certainly lie ahead. 94/Drinking
window: 2017-2032. Dark cherries, plums, earthiness, tobacco, menthol and
crushed leaves are some of the notes that meld together in the 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon. Ample and
broad on the palate, the 1992 delivers gorgeous texture, expressive inner
perfume and tons of nuance. Hints of cedar, rosemary and sage wrap around the
expressive finish. I don’t see the 1992 improving much from here, but it does
have enough depth to stay at its current plateau of maturity for another decade
or so. 91/Drinking window:
2014-2024.You Might Also Enjoy 

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/six-decades-of-mayacamas-cabernet-sauvignon-1967-2012">Six
Decades of Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon: 1967-2012</a>,&nbsp;June 2014

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/wine-food-press-st-helena-june-2013">Five Decades of Classic Napa Valley Cabernets at
Press</a>,&nbsp;June 2013

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/wine-food-press-st-helena-apr-2011">Dinner at Press</a>,&nbsp;April 2011

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