1984 Spottswoode Cabernet from a pristene 3L bottle

This had a vibrant darkish color. Pretty amazing for its age. Some nice fully resolved red fruits on the nose. Cherries with some black currant. The mouthful was soft and well structured. Age has been kind to this and the bottle size had to be at least in part responsible as well. There was a slight old cab quality in the nose, a sort of hint of reductiveness, but a beauty it was. The tannins were fully resolved and the fruit was still showing itself nicely. Lots of secondaries of soy, leather, and anise. A perfect foil for Steve’s famous Napa Cabernet braised short ribs! 92/100

Drank alongside a 1983, 1985, and 1987 Spottswoode Cabernets. The ‘83 was a tired old man. The ‘85 slightly more youthful, and the ‘87 the best of this group. There was a commonality of reductiveness on all. The 1984 was the rockstar. Not being the biggest fan of old wines, this was an interesting lineup indeed.