WTN: '96 Wineglass Cellars Elerding Vineyard Cab

[David M. Bueker]

This was the last bottle in the cellar from a trip to the Yakima Valley in 1999. It's certainly taken on some browning on the rim, so it looks aged.

The flavors are a really interesting melange of the young and the old. It still has a lot of primary fruit (ripe, sweet black cherry and raspberry), but also some worn leather and a green pepper element that is not strong enough to bother me (it adds to the complexity), but for those with a green-streak phobia it would be a no-no. There's still some tannin, but the structure is mostly from acid, so it's quite mouthwatering. I'm glad I let this bottle sit for as long as I did because it's an interesting lesson in how a less famous Cab can age. It's really good but it has to fit your personal style preferences. It fits mine.

That sounds really interesting, David. Did you pair it with anything in particular?

I think the oldest US cab I have is 2000.

[David M. Bueker]

That sounds really interesting, David. Did you pair it with anything in particular?

Steak! Cab and cow is always the way to go. The more the wine opened up the more it reminded me of a solid, but not exceptional vintage of Sociando-Mallet.

[Jenise]

Steak! Cab and cow is always the way to go. The more the wine opened up the more it reminded me of a solid, but not exceptional vintage of Sociando-Mallet.

Good comparison. You are probably aware that Washington cabs have long been both loved and reviled for that green pepper (sometimes called jalapeno) element, but that winemakers here are trying hard to get away from it in order to be more competitive in a Californicated market. Consequently, a decade later than your wine was made one rarely reads about that green pepper quality--but like you, I like it.