When we offered Spring Mountain’s flagship 1988 six months ago, it was received with feverish excitement, creating never-before-seen levels of traffic on our website. It was an incredibly proud moment for us because decades-old, classically-styled Napa Cabernet is one of the greatest gifts one can give a true wine lover, and you all made sure to take advantage of it. Since that day, we’ve been flooded with responses—everyone was stunned by its energetic brilliance and perfect preservation—so we’ve been working around the clock to offer something even grander. And what better way to do so than with an older yet equally priced cellar-direct beauty, from one of Napa’s most celebrated vintages, 1987.
Produced by a time-tested and globally respected Napa Valley winery, Spring Mountain’s 32-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon has never moved, and each bottle sports a pristine vintage label that was hand-applied three decades ago, essentially making today’s rarity an exquisite piece of art that can be touched, opened, and enjoyed—especially enjoyed. We were fortunate to taste through a range of their library wines, but this 1987 triggered a cascade of powerful emotions within us. It’s much more than a mature, flawlessly cellared Napa Cabernet or a rarity that few will ever get to experience. Spring Mountain’s ‘87 is a mindblowing antique treasure that so vividly captures the traditional essence of this storied region. Wines exactly like today’s are the sole reason Napa Valley has a name. From all of us at SommSelect: Happy Holidays—and treat yourself!
Finding significant quantities of antique Napa Valley wine becomes increasingly more difficult with each passing year. In order to track down perfectly aged library wines such as today’s, it requires efforts outside of a few simple phone calls or quick emails. In the case of Spring Mountain Vineyard, it came in the form of a personal reference from a friend, which in turn led to an unforgettable private tour and tasting at this historic winery. The first vineyard for Spring Mountain was cultivated way back in the late 1800s, a few decades after legendary George C. Yount had planted the first vines in the Napa Valley. Today, Spring Mountain Vineyard performs the impossible by retaining the lost art of classic winemaking and preserving old stocks in their original, hand-carved cellar—two unthinkable triumphs in the frenetic pace of today’s wine landscape. Because they’ve remained entrenched in tradition and quality, I’m forever grateful.
Though the winery as currently constructed wasn’t formed until the early 1970s, the name itself and 845-acre property holds more history than can be included here. Put simply, the Spring Mountain District AVA wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Spring Mountain Vineyard. Many of the vines under their ownership were originally planted by the renowned Beringer brothers; Charles Lemme (who planted the first Cabernet on Spring Mountain); and Tiburcio Parrott, who, according to the winery’s website, was “...a champion of freedom and of every man’s right to earn a living, regardless of race, creed or color. His standoff and ultimate victory against the State of California, amid the most divisive era in American history, reversed a discriminatory addition to the California State Constitution of 1879 that prohibited the employment of Chinese or Mongolian workers by corporations in the state.”
We also learned that Spring Mountain Vineyard’s sprawling property is planted to over 225 acres of vines that are further divvied up between 130+ hillside plots ranging from 400 to 1500 feet. As such, their vines are exposed to hundreds of unique microclimates that are masterfully and sustainably farmed by hand. In the cellar, it’s all about classic winemaking. Grapes undergo extended macerations and fermentations in stainless steel with a judicious pump-over regimen before being transferred into used and new French barrels for just under two years. This 1987 was bottled unfined and hasn’t ever moved—it’s patiently waiting for you at the winery as I type this.
If you missed out on the ‘88, I strongly recommend not passing up today’s 1987 because when a 32-year-old wine, made by bonafide Napa Valley experts, hasn’t moved or seen a ray of sunlight since it was bottled, the results are stupendous. Despite all the old wine I’ve tasted throughout my career, I was still astonished by its vibrant, youthful garnet core. While it may look like an antique on paper, it’s anything but in the glass. The wine erupts with deep, intensely concentrated mountain berries, dried black cherries, black plums, licorice, crushed volcanic rock, iron, vintage leather, smoke, old cedar box, damp earth, cigar ashes, and beautifully integrated baking spices. The palate is full, both in breadth and depth, and resonates with supreme freshness beside fine-grained tannins. There’s so much dark-fruited profundity and terroir expressiveness to be had, and it only keeps enhancing as hours two and three arrive. Accordingly, this wine has decades of life ahead of it if kept well: If you cellared a bottle in a perfect environment until 2030, even 2040, it will still be a masterpiece.
We advise standing the wine up at least 24 hours before carefully removing the cork, then waiting about 30 minutes before pouring the wine into Bordeaux stems, being careful not to disturb the little bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Decanting the wine is also an option but I would advise drinking the wine within the first hour, whereas leaving the wine in the bottle will keep it in perfect drinking condition for up to 3+ hours of enjoyment (since less oxygen is exposed to the wine).
We said the following for our previous 1988 offer, but it bears repeating for today’s older brother: This is a museum piece, a conversation igniter, a wine-of-the-year candidate, and everything in between. Securing anything less than a few bottles would truly be a missed opportunity. Happy Holidays!
