Conn Creek Napa Valley Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, 1976

That's right: 1976. The grapes for this wine were picked  50 years ago. I bought the wine from Private Stock wine store in Portage, MI, just about the time the 1978 Conn Creek was released. The owner of the store brought a few bottles of the 1976 out of his own cellar to sell, and I was quick to buy. The price tag says $12.95, which was quite a bit of money for wine at the time. This 1976 has been sold recently at auction for prices ranging from $80 to $300. This was the Golden Age of Napa Cabernet when wines were made to age for decades.

No ullage. The cork is short but amazingly intact with only a slight bit of red at the bottom. Comes out easily with the Durand cork remover. Amazingly deep and dark in the glass. Holding a small pour over a white background reveals amber creeping in slightly from the edges but good saturation in the middle. Not much of a bouquet until the wine has aired for 30 minutes or so. Then black currants, dark cherries, maybe some cardamon. Flavors are bold, deep, concentrated and delicious--unadorned black fruit. Not a lot of acidity but still well balanced. Full on the mid-palate leading into a luscious, fruit-filled finish. Great wine.