Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 7 years ago

Adam Reinhard

9.9

Damn. Still rockin strong. Like Dave in the good years. I fooled my wife into thinking it might be old world/ that all the praise you need to know. — 8 years ago

LM Segal

9.3

Fruit, acids and tannins faded into the background, initially lost (and thought off and nearly tossed!) due to extreme undergrowth funk. That blew off in 30 mins and what remained was Syrah turned all burgundy, fleshy but light. Not best example, but delicious. — 9 years ago

Bitterman The Pirate

9.0

Beautiful Rioja. Lots of oak at first, but fades away into stewed plums, chocolate and well balanced acidity. — 9 years ago

Mark Papp

10

Breaking into our vertical of this great wine. Reviews say drink by 2013, but a few more years hasn't hurt this at all. — 10 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.1

Lovely Mouton still young and needs time to open up. Deep dark red, this iconic Bordeaux blend is rich elegant and tempting. Aromas of black current, chocolate, coffee, and spicy wood, all blend into a full bodied elegant rich wine, with lovely robust round tannins, splendid with layers of fruit and taste. Long chewy rich finish that stays with you almost 30 min after you finish your glass. The wine was still tight and needed time to open up, through a bit of sediments. My score 91, drink to 2024 — 10 years ago

Brian Ford

9.4

Wonderful blend of fully bodied and fruit flavors. Tough to budget into a daily routine but worth it if you can swing it. — 11 years ago

Robert McCall

9.4

Pours clean dark purple into the glass showing no age. I'll be damned if one couldn't enjoy the dark fruit aroma from 5 feet away. Wow. Dark fruit, leather and pleasant oak quality supplemented with a silky tannic structure that gave a 60 sec finish. Not the most complex Latour I've enjoyed at this point but this bottle actually tightened up over an hour after opening indicating much life ahead. Sheeeit! — 11 years ago

Julio Raffaine

9.1

Soft evening — 12 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured out of a 1.5L and this was lights out good. I love the 2005 vintage in Barbaresco and this was a beautiful example and seemed to have so much left in the tank! The fruit was still bright and full of life. Tannins are still firm. Great acid for food and paired beautifully with frutta di mare fra diavolo. Secondary characteristics are just barely creeping into the fore. Wish I had another mag to drink in 2029. — 7 years ago

Martijn

9.0

1997 vintage on 24.12.18 Cork broke into 1000 pieces.
Still a red fruit bomb. Drinking easily but I will keep my other bottles in the cellar. — 8 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

This has aged into quite a beauty. Floral, lots of potting soil, some cassis, fresh rain, meadow, a dark profile yet aged yet not. Terrific nose. Lots of tar and tobacco as well. Palate is compact and fresh with nice density and opulence and length. Persistent. Good ripe tannins and that trademark 2000 whiplash acidity. Love it. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I Coravin-ed this bottle awhile ago. I put it back as it wasn’t drinking as I would have hoped. A couple of months later and it’s come around nicely. I been doing short term and longer term tests of Coravin bottles. As much as I love my Coravin, I am a little more skeptical of their research that states their bottles will hold up 9 years after their first Coravin. I believe the Coravin help develop this 04 a little sooner. It’s drinking nicely without food tonight. On the nose; dark currants, expresso, black olive tapenade, cedar, tobacco, sweet soft leather, vanilla, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked black plum, plum, an array of blue fruit mix, light cinnamon, clove, medium spice, mocha chocolate, dark chocolate, stones, rich, moist black earth and dark decayed florals & fresh violets. The palate is medium full. The tannins are not quite 50% resolved. After it opens up with a half-hour in the glass, it’s like velvet in the mouth. The structure, tension, length and balance are starting to develop into a very good place. However, there are many, many years of aging to go. The fruits are ruby, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked black plum and strawberries. Expresso, black olive tapenade, cedar, tobacco, sweet soft leather, tobacco, menthol, graphite, anise, vanilla, light cinnamon, clove, medium spice, mocha chocolate, dark chocolate, dry stems, crushed rocks with dry top soil, stones, rich, moist black earth, volcanic minerals, and dark decayed florals. The acidity is very good for what was deemed a ho-hum vintage. The long finish is; rich, ruby, gorgeous and lasts well over two minutes. I am enjoying it a lot tonight but will still wait another 10 years to open another. I believe at that point, it has all the potential to merit an outstanding score. When I tasted this at the UGC in Bordeaux fresh into bottle, I thought it was one of the top three wines of the day. In the right photo, you get a full sense where the wine gets it’s stoney & rich, dark earthiness. — 9 years ago

Joe Lucca

9.5

Settle into this well worn, comfortable leather club chair. Cigar tobacco, leather, briar berry, and cracked rocks. Velvety tannins, earth, charcoal, autumn leaves, stewed berries. Beautifully light and delicate. A brooding force at one point, now refined over time to elegance. Close your eyes and find yourself in that club chair, a cigar smoldering next to you. And peace in your heart. — 10 years ago

with Diana, Anne-marie and 1 other

Austin Beeman

9.5

Very young - this is wine for the cellar. Dark spice, hints of green herbs. The nose is like walking into a Chinese herb shop. Crushed chalk. Plum skins. Texture is very smooth with deep hints of baking chocolate dusting. This is quite the thoroughbred Cabernet: Elegant, Pure, Pristine, and Powerful. $175 at winery. — 11 years ago

Mike Beltran

8.9

Wonderful soft mixed fruit that have blended into classic claret. Decanted three hours and it was solid food wine all evening. Our 40th anniversary pre-wine. Not tannic like most '75's- mid weight with a nice aromatic finish - a joy to drink. — 11 years ago

Sean Nelson

10

Simply perfect. Defies all attempts to break it down into component parts. Wow. Bravo, @Cathy Corison ! — 11 years ago

Lyle Coffield

Sommelier Kokkari, Evvia Estatorios

9.6

OMG. This is the taste that got me into wine. Dee-Effing-licious. — 12 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.5

BYOB wine night with friends & various industry acquaintances celebrating the recent induction of a couple of them into the ranks of CMS Certified.
.
Beautiful. Overripe pineapple, creme brûlée, honeysuckle. Loads of power. See you in another decade at least. — 7 years ago

with Krystal

Jay Kline

9.3

High shoulder fill. Cork just short of being completely saturated. Poured into glasses about an hour prior; consumed over a three hour period. Color is a dark garnet with maybe the slightest hint of bricking on the edge. Intoxicating aromas of crème de cassis, tobacco, cedar, baking spices, and forest floor. On the palate, the fruit was remarkably fresh and vibrant for 35 years of age. Zippy, black currants, plums, leather and a touch of earth. Tannins are still holding fast! Finish lasts for a minute, plus. Stunning bottle. Honestly, it’s hard to think of a producer in Bordeaux that punches this far above its class. There was more than enough structure for this to easily go another 10 years...maybe even longer. Wow. — 8 years ago

Molly M

9.1

Just can’t get a bad wine in California it seems! Picked this up at the little mini mart outside Yosemite for $10. Delicious! — 8 years ago

Bryan Ghows

9.8

The 1982 is drinking superbly now. Very polished and refined. All the elements have integrated into a lovely drink. No edges. — 9 years ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Very nice, if you're into the plummy / raisiny side of CDP. Lots of dark fruit, intensely aromatic with a port like nose. Long finish with integrated tannins. — 9 years ago

Jackson Rohrbaugh

9.0

We've veered into old Bordeaux territory here. Big, spicy, and brash, still holding weight, although the fruit has begun to dry slightly. Shared by a generous guest. #insignia #napacab #napavalley #napa — 10 years ago

Raul Puga

9.3

Love me some Rafanelli Zin. This is the wine that got me into wine. Yes I know it's young but oh so yummy!!! '14 looks like it will be great in a couple of years — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

It needed an hour decant to come around and blow off the barnyard funk. After that, elegance, ruby blue and red soft fruits; blueberries, bright cherries, fresh juicy strawberries, some cooked green bell early on that gradually faded, steeped tea, soft saddlewood & minerality, a touch of easy wet black earth, pebbles. The 88 has all the classic characteristics and elegant finish one comes to expect from Pichon Lalande. Not their best but pretty darn good on Christmas Eve into Christmas. Merry Christmas all!!! — 11 years ago

Arvind David

9.1

Ok this is turning into a good night — 11 years ago

Matthew Nagy

9.1

Just starting to come into its own and open up... — 11 years ago

Judd Blair

9.3

You obviously know what you're getting into with this one - tannin, tannin, and more tannin. Amazing structure, nice acid, if you're in the mood for one of the Napa big boys this isn't a bad way to do it. — 11 years ago

Regan Meador

9.2

Perfect while watching Fred Lee work that piece of land into submission. — 13 years ago