1982 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

The 1982 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon is an outstanding wine in the making, with its low octane 12.5 percent alcohol level giving the wine great bounce and vivacity on the palate. The bouquet is starting to blossom beautifully, wafting from the glass in a deep and complex mix of black cherries, cigar ash, mountain soil tones, rose petals, allspice and hints of the black truffle to come with further bottle age. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a superb core of sappy fruit, excellent focus and grip, moderate tannins and outstanding length on the poised and perfectly balanced finish. This particular bottle had a bit of volatile acidity in evidence on both the nose and palate when first opened, but this blew off completely with thirty minutes in decanter. This wine still needs at least another five years in the cellar to completely peak, but it is getting close and is already very enjoyable to drink.