Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I bought 3 or 4 bottles of the 06 Heitz Napa. I think this is my first bottle. I either have none or one left. Better gets notes tonight! I think I gave others away. What was I thinking? Wine is meant to be shared.

What is better than paying around $33 for a bottle of wine, forgetting about it for twelve years and having it blossom on your palate the way it is tonight? This is a prime example of two things; you don’t need to spend a hundred(s) for a really good bottle of wine and their is absolutely no substitution for appropriate cellaring time.

The nose reveals; steeped, dark fruit wading in fruits of ripe/ruby; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, baked, black plum & strawberries, hovering raspberries with pomegranate, light liqueur notes. Mild alcohol vapors, black licorice, sweet tarriness, mixed dark fruit cola/licorice, mid, dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, saddle-wood, graphite, dark rich souls, forest floor with dry leaves, dry crushed rocks, dry twigs, tree sap, mint/eucalyptus, soft leather, dry tobacco with ruby, brilliant, fresh & withering, candied; dark, red, purple florals with a field of violets.

The body is, rich, ruby and creamy with fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, baked, black plum & strawberries, hovering raspberries with pomegranate that shows light liqueur notes. Mild alcohol vapors, black licorice, dark, steeped, black , assorted fruit teas, sweet tarriness, mixed dark fruit cola/licorice, mid, dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, caramel, mocha, saddle-wood, graphite, savory grilled meats, dark rich souls, forest floor with dry leaves, moist clay & top soil, dry crushed rocks, dry twigs, tree sap, mint/eucalyptus, hints of Provence herbs, soft leather, dry tobacco with ruby, brilliant, fresh & withering, candied; dark, red, purple florals with a field of violets. The acidy is like a cool waterfall on a warm day. The beautiful, elegant, extremely well knitted balance is in the realm of “forget about it”. Sometimes the right wine, when it’s right, moves the entire body. Such as it is tonight.

The tension, structure, length and balance have just hit their high point and will remain there for another five years into a slow decline over the next 10-15 years, stored impeccably.

This might be the best Napa Heitz I’ve bought & stored. It’s stunning and way over delivering its price point. One complex wine!!!

Photos of; Heitz Winery, tasting bar, tasting room garden patio and the Hwy 29 signage for the tasting room with the valley floor vines that surround their tasting room. — 6 years ago

Larry Frierson

9.6

Lime and limestone. So savory. Brilliant acidity. Great with petrale sole. — 9 years ago

Kevin Ortzman

9.4

The second year of this great wine. '14 yielded twice the production of '13 and expanded from Stags Leap to Rutherford. This resulted in a RP rating of 94 pt. Congratulations John and Stacey. Dark berries with hints of cocoa, tobacco and cinnamon. Adding to my collection! — 9 years ago

with Frank, ADAM and 2 others

Justin Brilman

9.2

Each time I have this 13 I like it more and more. Shared with family who hadn't tried it before and they also loved it. The finish on this is long and focused just love it. — 9 years ago

Melanie Barnes

9.5

It was the best Italian wine I have ever had. Brilliant. Excellent depth and tannins. — 10 years ago

Nestor Tsioustas

9.4

More powerful, red sappy cherry flavours , white pepper. Complex , silky and medium bodied. Great length. Very impressive. Sweet fruit. Brilliant! 95 points. — 10 years ago

John Daugherty

9.4

Heavenly! Crushed rock, citrus, white flowers, hint of petrol. I can't stop putting my nose in the glass. Bright, juicy red apple and melon flavors. Medium bottle with sugar kept in check by brilliant acidity. Finish sails on for a minute plus. Truly one of the best! — 11 years ago

Cat Purcell

9.5

Red cherry, clove, strawberry rhubarb pie, clean earth, Oregon black cap, dried violet, brilliant acidity. — 11 years ago

with Steve and Dylan

Chelli Webster

VP Marketing/Sales Webster Cellars

9.6

'92 screaming eagle- sensational noise jammy black currants and oak-full body ripe intense fruit- brilliant finish — 12 years ago

Tom Garland

9.2

Its Friday, and after a long week I feel the need for a big extracted cab and Caymus always hits that "sweet" spot for me.

Double decant(lots of chunky sediment). A brilliant black garnet color. On the nose: Muted notes of blueberry, licorice, milk chocolate, and oak. Taste: chocolate blackberry, toasty vanilla, a little spicy tobacco, with medium acidity leading to a medium plus finish.....a rich, lush, easy to like wine. — 6 years ago

with Brenda

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago

Daniel M

9.1

Iron, Cherry and cherry eau de vie on the nose, very profound and lovely nose. The palate is, as usual, very balanced with a sugary cherry touch at first, a long acid backbone with lots of texture and fruits, and a superb finish with fruits and freshness. Consistently brilliant — 8 years ago

Kristi Lynn

10

Funny story, we ordered the bottle of wine on the line after this bottle on the menu. The waiter brought this bottle as a mistake which we found out was listed as a $485 bottle of wine! We took one sip and knew that it was too good to be true. Come to find out that this is one of the first super tuscan wines ever made. Even though management took the bottle from our table as soon as it was realized, that was the luckiest and most delicious mistake that's ever happened to us. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Bruised golden apple, pineapple, golden raisins, ginger ale, brioche, citrus blend, touch of honey, yellow lilies, quince, orange peel, nut skin, toffee, brilliant acidity, chalkiness and rich long finish. — 9 years ago

E Soldezzo

9.2

I'm not a huge sweet moscato fan, so this one works perfectly for me. Loved it! Just a touch of effervescence. — 10 years ago

with Joe

Patrick Malcor

9.8

Brilliant. — 10 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.4

Infanticide, I know... brilliant nevertheless — 11 years ago

Matt Fosket

10

Six hours and quadruple decanted and it's brilliant — 11 years ago

Elizabeth Kelso

9.1

Herbaceous, rose petal, dried tobacco, black peppercorn. Medium bodied, easy drinking but super interesting! — 11 years ago

Joshua Chan

9.3

My first ever Dom that I’ve ever purchased or rather gifted to me. Birthday champs. Brilliant bouquet. Super soft tiny bubbles. 20 years of cellaring and this would be bloody amazing. — 6 years ago

Gregory Spock

9.1

Cherry, cassis, slight herbaceous nose with brilliant light mouthed lingering finish. — 6 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

Finessed, terrific complexity, bruised white peach, petrol, wet stone and a bit nutty along with tea leaves on the finish. Such a brilliant expression of Wachau. — 7 years ago

Gregory Spock

9.2

Brilliant plum and raspberry with as smooth a lasting impression as a Teddy Pendegrass tune. No acidic overtones. — 7 years ago

with Joseph C and Janna

Ryan Maguire

9.5

Beautiful and elegant. Sweet with a fabulous acidity that ensures that it isn't cloying. Brilliant wine, there is a reason so many sweet wines try to emulate d'Yquem. — 9 years ago

William Cooper

9.5

Open for 3 hours so funk could blow off. Fantastic nose and brilliant fruit. — 9 years ago

Ty Methfessel

9.6

Brilliant 78 YGay!
— 10 years ago

Mike Jordan (MJ)

10

A brilliant wine from my favorite Oregon winery. — 10 years ago

Anthony Basile

9.4

Found this on the list at - Cherche Midi for an amazing price. They definitely made a pricing mistake & only marked it up by about 18%. — 11 years ago

Tim O'Rourke

9.0

Why did I pass on '07s? Big mistake on my part. This is really good, and it just goes to show: buy great producers in every vintage. — 11 years ago

with Scott, Michael and 1 other

jams jerfy

9.5

brilliant. — 12 years ago