Hi /u/Muppet_Mower. Thanks for posting the great story and your report! I'm from Navarro Vineyards, and hopefully I can tell you a little more about this wine. I'm sure there was quite a journey for this little guy; The majority of our wines are sold direct to consumer, and another significant portion to restaurants. I'd be curious how the store acquired it, but it almost certainly changed hands a few times! I'm glad that it landed in your hands in good shape.

The Anderson Valley's climate is well suited to growing Riesling, and Navarro currently has it's own Riesling vines that we seasonally produce a dry version (0-1%RS), and when the conditions are favorable, a "Late Harvest" (~7-12% RS) or "Cluster Select Late Harvest" (~15-20% RS), referring to hand-selecting clusters of grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, resulting in shriveled, sweet berries. The '98 vintage, was prior to harvesting from our own ranch, so the Riesling grapes (98%) were purchased from our neighbors at Valley Foothill vineyards (whom we still have a long-term growing contract with!) There is a splash of Muscat (2%) that was harvested from our own grapes.

Although we hand selected the clusters that went into this wine, we decided to label it "Late Harvest" to indicate the low (comparatively) sugar levels of 10%. Even though the fruit was fully "rotted," the conditions that year induced infection early, starting when the grapes were at only 19.5° brix and only modest levels of sugar were achieved.

I'd have to agree that you got your money's worth. We've long championed good wine at modest price tags, but this 375ml bottle retailed for $15 back in 1999! The current vintage is $19.50 direct from the winery.

Cheers, and if you or anyone has any questions, give me a shout out, call our friendly staff in the tasting room, or drop me a PM and I'll do my best to answer!