Tried these two last Sun at Pig+Fig from Blair's Cellar:
1, JosephPhelpsVnyds CabSauv BackusVnyd/NapaVlly (13.6%) St.Helena 1978: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; intense cedary/pencilly/smokey/cigar box/Fr.oak strong blackcurranty/Cab/slight herbal quite complex old Bdx beautiful nose; lightly tart strong youthful/blackcurranty/CS/slight herbal bit arth/herbal/Bdx-like fairly cedary/pencilly/oak quite complex flavor w/ modest gentle tannins; very long/lingering fairly strong blackcurranty/Cab/slight herbal strong cedary/pencilly/cigar box/Fr.oak slight earthy very complex finish w/ some smooth tannins; still loads of CS fruit and about as perfect an aged NapaVlly CS as you can get; beautiful slightly Bdx-like old Cab showing no signs of fading. $14.85 (LB)
_________
2. Ridge CabSauv MonteBello/SantaCruzMtns (94% CS/6% Merlot; EG; 13.6%; bttld Oct 1980; Drk: 9/82-9/86: PD) 1978: Very dark color w/ slight browning; strong cedary/smokey/cigar box/coffee bean/oak light blackcurranty/CS some earthy/dusty/OV quite complex beautiful nose; lightly tart slight bretty strong old MB/coffee bean some blackcurranty/CS/slight herbal some dusty/OV rather cedary/cigar box/coffee bean/oak complex flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long/lingering smokey/cigar box/coffee bean/oak some blackcurranty/CS/bit herbal some dusty/OV rather complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; still in great shape & still holding the fruit; a lovely fully-mature and then some MB Cab. $27.00 (vTH)
_____________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. MonteBello: Well beyond Draper's predicted drinkability window, but still going relatively strong, starting to fade just a bit. Not sure why Paul gave it suc a relatively short drinking window. Perhaps because the '78 was the last of the drought yrs and things were fairly rip, though this MB showed no signs of overripeness.
Tom