1979 Rutherford Hill Merlot

without having any specific info, I'd go 20-1 that there's not a drop of life in that bottle

______________________________
Member #19

I agree with Vitis Vinifera.

Having said that, I'd be happy to help you formulate an opinion when you open it.

You know, I bought a mixed case of some old California wines at auction -- I suspected that most of them were over the hill -- stuff like 1967, 1970, 1974 -- all red wines from second and third tier vinyards. I think I paid like $250 for a 19-bottle lot. I'm a gambler, and I was intrigued. Imagine my shock when the best bottles in the bunch (there were five) were the 1974 Fetzer Cab. This wine just blew me away, and all five bottles tasted exactly alike. We drank it all up, and I think those five bottles were worth the $250 by themselves. One of the bottles had an original price tag still on it -- $3.99.

Just goes to show you, you never know....

Semper ubi sub ubi!

Yep, the wine is dead.

Well, since this winery has made rather sub-standard wines with increasing frequency, and it wasn't THAT great a year, I'd say that the chances of it being any good are minimal at best.

Pour it in a decanter, then mix it with olive oil and put in your dinner salad.

Seriously, in a situation like this, you just hold it and use it as a conversation piece.