1985 Mayacamas Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Having shared a bottle of 1985 Mayacamas cabernet with a friend three years ago, I had very high expectations for this particular bottle that closed out my three rounds of larger tastings for the preparation of this article. Back in 2018, I had noted that I was surprised how well the ’85 Mayacamas was drinking at the time, as I still expected it to be fairly backwards in personality. But, it was blossoming nicely at the time. Three years on, the wine is even better than it was then and now seems to have fully emerged from its hibernation and is clearly one of Bob Travers’ greatest wines in his long and very, very successful career. The bouquet soars from the glass in a deep, pure and complex constellation of black cherries, Cuban cigars, a complex base of mountain soil tones, a touch of eucalyptus, woodsmoke, gentle notes of allspice and a deft foundation of cedar. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, seamless and shows off stunning depth at the core, with great soil signature, suave tannins and a very, very long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. The wine was delicious when first decanted, but over the course of the hour that it was drunk, its tannins started to firm up just a bit, so my gut instinct is that the wine is still climbing and will be even better with a bit more bottle age. This was drunk alongside of the excellent 1984 Mayacamas and it is unequivocally the finer, more complete wine of the two. One of California’s most legendary cabernets!

The 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon is all about silkiness and grace. Although not one of the eternal wines at Mayacamas, the 1985 is a great choice for drinking now. Today, the 1985 is sensual, perfumed and light on its feet. (AG)