A Cellar Surprise: 1999 Pheasant Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
Frankly, I though tonight would be a quiet uneventful evening. I decided to open my wine cooler and peruse its nether regions. To my surprise, I found a bottle of Pheasant Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Texas High Plains 20th Anniversary Limited Release 1999. Now, that is a real mouthful both in number of words as well as a sip of wine.
After finding it, I decided to open it and see what it had to offer. You know what, it held together quite well over the past 11 years. Not bad for a Texas wine. Most people would have written it off and taken the full depreciation 6 or more years ago.
This Cabernet still had its red purple color all the way to the rim with a medium body and emerging bouquet led by crisp dark berries and hints of cedar, spice and smoke. Best yet, it still held its aroma for an after dinner quaff two hours later. All-in-all a worthy sip for a winter’s night in downtown Houston accompanying my braised beef concoction.
Umm… Maybe everyone missed this… but the wine that is being enjoyed is Pheasant Ridge’s 1999 Limited Proprietors Reserve. Which is a limited Release Bordeaux Blend. This wine is the pride of Pheasant Ridge and they just released their 2003 so of course its going to still be good… as a matter of fact I have had wines as old as the mid 80′s from them that still have plenty of life in them…. Honestly this wine has allot more life left to it and can go for at least 10 more years if not possibly 20!Properly cellared of course
It’s an estate winery in the classic tradition of some that I’vs seen in the south of France.
wonderful that it has the tannic structure to age a decade without falling off!
Pheasant Ridge makes some really wonderful wines, and it’s nice to hear an example of one aging well. They are a real hidden treasure out here on the Texas High Plains.