Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

This was an old soldier I opened on my 50th Birthday this week. It was a 1992, and reminded me of times gone by since the day I first tasted the wine. 1992 upon release was considered "vintage of the decade" before the 94's or 97's or 99's were released. The wine had density, tannin, acid and dark fruits in balance. Tight and unapproachable when first barrel tasted; this 18 year old held together. The fruits were somewhat more muted and the earth tones were predominant. There was sediment as expected and the color held its coco, red plum and cherry tones which was unexpectedly pleasant. Over-all I found this wine was at its pinnacle and may start to decline in a year or two depending on cellar conditions. I like well made red wines of certain power and age. This was one of them. The debate over high alcohol and balance in new world wines would be lost on this one as at over 14% this wine at 18 years, (17 really), was graceful and rich with all the meaningful parts still present. It was paired with a roasted game hen, creamed spinach and polenta cakes. Maybe not the perfect food pairing for its younger self, but perfect for its present condition as the subtle food flavors allowed the wine to "show-off". Should you question buying and cellaring a new world Cabernet of 14% alcohol or more, let go, they can age well and are worth the wait, in my opinion.

Oaky nose, good cab structure. Red fruits in the mouth - cherry, blackberry, some chocolate. Slightly bitter finish, with strong tannins - 15 seconds.

Excellent cab, Complex, tannic, with floral and spice aromatics. Fleshy, vivid red fruits and black mineral streaks in the finish. Medium notes throughout in good balance, but not as deep and heavy as I prefer it. Still, a wonderfully composed wine.

This was my last bottle of 99 Black Cougar Cab and it is still there. Decanted it for 2 hours before meal and it opened up and softened. Still a lot of leather and spice in the nose. The tannin was softened by decanting but it was still loaded with flavor. Lots of spice and black fruit and a nice long finish.

This cab is a lot bigger than I expected. It was still full of tannin and a lot of spice (probably due to 100% new french oak). I guess I could have held on to this another 5 years. Paired very well with the Prime Rib I had (yeah, I know, real stretch). Only probelm, it had a lot more sediment than I expected. That is probably more to do with my storage than the actual wine. I do have one more bottle so I'll update after I have it.