1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Two of the most impressive wines in these tastings, both of Dunn's 1986s tasted like 3-4-year old Cabernets rather than 10-year old adolescents. The 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is still tight, but it reveals more openness, and gobs of sweet, mineral-laden, black-raspberry, and cassis fruit. The fruit dominates the wine's structure, a positive sign given all the wine's tannin and body. Rich, pure, and youthful, this 1986 is accessible now, but will unquestionably last another 20+ years. It is a profound, well-balanced Cabernet with well-integrated acidity and tannin. The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.