Mayacamas is a remarkably timeless wine and today’s 1986 is perhaps the finest I’ve tasted from the estate. Drinking it with several of my close friends in the valley a few weeks ago was like opening a time capsule to classically-styled Napa Cabernet. It’s an unshakably perfect expression of old school “First Growth” Napa that has consistently surpassed Bordeaux’s own.
Mayacamas stormed onto the world scene in 1976 with a Cabernet that outperformed some of Bordeaux's best in the “Judgement of Paris” tasting and did even better at the 10th and 30th anniversary re-stagings. This result has kept a blinding spotlight on Mayacamas for the past 50 years, making them one of the elite names in all of wine. Even better, the elegant and traditionally crafted style that vaulted them to the top ranks has remained largely unchanged. Despite shifting consumer trends over the past several decades, every wine I’ve had from Mayacamas—regardless of vintage—has always been so expressively textured with delicate fruit and pure terroir. Their singular style always shines through, and this 1986 reaches a point of perfection to where I could drink it for the rest of my life. Sadly, however, at 30+ years old there are only minute amounts remaining: The cellars of Mayacamas are nearing complete scarcity and I was only able to gain access to a small number of cases (which are still sitting in the cellar as you read this). And, with it’s direct-from-cellar provenance, you know this legendary bottle has been treated with perfect storage. Only three bottles per customer until we run out—and we will! This is a truly magical wine, do not miss out.
A premier producer in the history of the Napa Valley, Mayacamas Vineyards is a California institution lauded for delivering some of the most treasured and pure Cabernet Sauvignon in the entire world. This mountainside oasis, stretched over a vast holding of hillside sites in the Mayacamas Mountain Range, consistently delivers inimitable varietal expressions. Designed to enjoy between 15 and 30+ years old, these are exquisite wines that open a rare window of Napa Valley history. Mayacamas enjoys roots that reach back to the 1880s and their original stone winery (thankfully untouched by the recent fires) still stands today. The modern era at the property was defined by Bob and Elinor Travers, who purchased it in 1968 and expanded both facilities and vineyards until handing it over to new ownership in 2013.
Their property is vast, spanning 480 acres, but only about 50 of those are planted to vines—which range in altitude from 1,800 to 2,400 feet on Mount Veeder’s ancient volcanic slopes (you can see parts of San Francisco from certain vineyard vistas!). Soils up here are a rocky mix of ash, sedimentary rock, lava, and marine sediment. As with many mountain-grown Cabernets, Mayacamas’ always has a slight wildness to it—a rustic, stony edge to its structure. For this 1986 bottling, you won’t see “Mount Veeder” on the label for one simple reason: the appellation wasn’t yet established (not until 1993)! Mayacamas produces their wines with minimal intervention in both vineyard and cellar. Following a hand harvest (that lasted over one month!) and a two-week fermentation in their historic winery, the wine aged two years in large American oak casks and one additional year in French barriques before being bottled in the latter part of 1989. It hasn’t moved from their cellars since that date.
Mayacamas’ 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon is nearly opaque with an ample garnet core that’s still showing impressive concentration. You’ll notice bits of sediment that cast a slight haze on the wine, but it is a non-issue, especially so if standing the bottle upright one day prior to drinking—which is advised. As you move outward, its age becomes apparent with pale amber and brick orange hues on the rim. The fruit on the nose is highly perfumed and incredibly intense with notes of black plum, red currant, and dried black cherry at the forefront; but what really shines are the secondaries: dried orange rind, sandalwood, leather, sawdust, dried mint, bay leaf, wild mushroom, underbrush, and delicately layered baking spices. The palate is medium-plus bodied, delicately structured, and elegant in its highest form, with a kiss of sweet fruit on a seemingly endless finish. I recommend a quick double decant: In this process you would carefully pour the wine into a decanter (leaving the sediment in the bottle); wash the bottle with clean water multiple times; then pour the wine back into its original bottle with a closed cork. There’s too much delicate perfume, fruit, and savory earth that can’t be risked losing! If you do decant this wine, do it right before service. Another option is to simply stand the bottle upright the day before serving. Pour gently! The wine opens quickly in the glass and will give you an incredible show for 60-90 minutes. As grand as the ’86 is today—I would say it has entered its peak drinking window—it’s structure will allow it to continue aging over the next two decades (in proper storage conditions); that’s the magic of world-class Cabernet. Pair this with a bacon-wrapped, medium-rare (even rare) filet on a bed of caramelized mushrooms and you’ll never forget the night. Cheers!
