Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, aged 48 months on American oak, 20% new. On the palate flavors of dark berry fruits with spice, oak and smoky earthy notes, slight vanilla nuances on ripe full soft silky tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with fruit, oak, cigar box spice and clean mineral earthy tones, a joy to Sip this Fine Wine!! Tasting great, has more aging potential! — 3 months ago

Jocholla

9.1

Big Napa fruit. — 6 months ago

Lynn Poole

9.9

WOW!28 years and still rocking it. Delicious fruit. Smooth and balanced. Worth the wait. — 5 months ago

Conrad Green

9.5

From mag. Dark intense gravelly fruit. Leather and sour cherry. Serious and bridging still. Great aged Bordeaux. — 6 months ago

with BOT, Paul and 1 other

Conrad Green

9.3

Calm and precise. Soft plummy fruit with some contained and polished fruit. Very good. — 7 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Arturo Kassel

9.3

Been sitting on it for a decade and boy was it worth the wait. It’s everything I’d want in a St. Julien Bordeaux. Silky tannins, elegant mouthfeel, great balance of red fruit and earthy undertones. Sadly, that was my last one. — 9 months ago

Nick Benz

9.3

Tons of dark fruit, roasted plum and black currant, leather and black olives — 9 years ago

Marc Melser

9.0

We had the 2012 Vintage on 7/12-13/25. With 13 Years of aging, all the tannins have been smoothed out. Tastes of blueberry, plum, leather and spice. Medium to full bodied. Still fruit forward. Very good — 4 months ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Last had this vintage a couple years ago. These obviously have a long life ahead of them. With some nice air, this does open up. Wonderful dark fruit and earth aromas. Tannins are quite present and a bit bitter (not in a bad way at all). Excellent acid on the finish. Delicious pairing with kinderhook pork chops with tutto porchetta seasoning. — 4 months ago

Robert Swart

9.1

Cedar, sour cherries, and pencil shavings on the nose. Dried fruit on the palate. Still drinking well! — 5 months ago

Eric Crane

Sommelier & Educator Empire Wine Distributors

9.3

Still fresh. The fruit is really ripe. — 6 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

The fruit is still so alive, incredible! The finish is Napa essence. — 7 months ago

Leo Gentile

9.2

Dang this is drinking well. Subdued fruity nose and rich purple color. Great balance with spice and tons of black fruit. Tempted to say hold but not too long so one can enjoy the fruits — 8 months ago

Riccardo L.

9.3

This really over performs, considering it’s just a reserva. Might go down as one of the richest and flavourful riojas I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious wine. Lots of oak and red fruit. Vibrant. Alive. — 9 months ago

Shay A

9.4

Anytime an older Heitz Martha’s is open, it’s a treat. I’ve tried to acquire a few random bottles over the years and they have consistently impressed (‘78 and ‘01, specifically). My first early ‘90s vintage.

Quick double decant to simply get the wine off sediment as it wouldn’t be consumed from a decanter at the location I would be at.

In my experience, the distinct and typical eucalyptus notes jump right at pop, but this bottle was a little subdued early on. After an hour with the cork out, the eucalyptus, herbs, cedar and red fruit made their entrance. Compared to the ‘91 Hartwell I opened a few months ago, this was more elegant and less dense on the mid-palate. If not for the eucalyptus, I could see this being called left bank Bordeaux with 30yrs on it. Gained some darker red/underripe black fruit notes the longer it was open. Beautiful length at the finish. Bright acidity and tannin. Not getting better, but a wonderful drinking window to enjoy now. — 4 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Boom! From the first sip - this wine was explosive and delicious.

Dark and black fruits come out and then lend to some red fruit and while it has good depth, this wine is very smooth.

Seems like it’s in the drinking window — 5 months ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Plush and delicious and lucid. Haney fruit and grip. A great bottle — 6 months ago

with David

Jay Kline

9.3

Decanted about an hour in advance and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2022 Cuvée Réservée pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe and tart bramble fruits: blackberries, Marionberries, raspberries, “Oops All Berries!!”, garrigue, red and purple flowers, black pepper, licorice, a balance of cool and warm spices, river rock. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from nose; particularly the power and quality of fruit. The finish is long. Early days for the 2022 Cuvée Réservée but holy smokes is it already pretty special. The ABV is a scorching 16% but you would never know it. The power and freshness of fruit with the titanic structure keep everything in balance. Drink now through 2042. — 7 months ago

Lyn Farmer

9.8

Exceptional wine - deep ruby color with a huge bouquet of violet, plum, black pepper, black cherry, licorice, vanilla, clove, prune and dried rose petal. Velvet tannins, the alcohol is well balanced with the fruit and full-bodied texture. Still in its infancy but already delicious, this wine has a stunning future — 9 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.4

Medium bodied, aromas of plum, blackberry and a oak. Fruit and subtle tannins. — 9 years ago