Mike Saviage

9.3

Decanted for 3 hours before dinner. Dark, opaque color - darker than the Barolo next to it. Really nice nose. Notes of dark fruit, leather, tobacco leaf, old desk and some dried violets. Nice weight and texture in the mouth. Surprisingly bright and tasty finish. In a great place. Give it air! — 3 years ago

Steven Richardson

9.1

Vanilla is known as ‘the salt of the baking world’ and this wine embodies that. Velvety smooth vanilla, maybe black cherry or Concord grape, peppercorn, tea leaf. I was skeptical at first finding an 11 year old wine in 2021 that had bottle gimmicks like fake gold wire, but is worth the 30$CAD if you can find it! — 4 years ago

Daron Watson

9.5

what a phenomenal job the crew did with what Mother Nature threw them ~ this is an elegant & approachable example of Sassicaia ~ upon pulling the cork Mediterranean scrub & herbs fill the nose and flavors of red licorice and Razzles pop on the palate ~ in time the red fruits become less candied and the the scrub & herbs, along w tobacco leaf & hints of gravel, finish the flavor ~ though a samurai sword of acidity slices through!

If you’re looking for breadth this doesn’t have it ~ but what is there is focused and sings! — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

This 41 yr old LLC was still fresh & drinking well showing a little funk in the beginning that quickly blew off with notes of red & black fruits, currant, cedar, leather, forest floor & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Part 1 of the final and main event for the Fall WNH. The most spectacular lineup of wines I’ve ever seen, and an overall wonderful ending to an amazing trip with fantastic people.

A baby, but already strutting its power. This is no doubt a modern take on Bordeaux with more rich/sweet black and blue fruit than others, but it reigns in before it gets too Nap-esque as the fruit is more underripe. Mid palate and finish show dark chocolate, bay leaf and a touch of leather. Because of the style, not too adverse to opening now with a 2-3hr decant, but this will improve for many years. Bravo, @Mike R . — 6 years ago

with Mike, David and 4 others

Michael Dierberg

9.4

Great wine. Christmas fruitcake, pine, maybe a little tomato leaf. — 7 years ago

with JiaMin

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Surprisingly youthful for 35y, served from a magnum.
Still deep in colour, with not much evolution towards the rim.
Uplifting aromatics with cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, some kirsch, but also some black currant jam.
Medium bodied on the palate with nice balance, the tannins still surprisingly grippy, though a touch dry.
Nicely poised, with good flow and high drinkability.
What a surprise! — 3 years ago

ESF

9.3

Yeah yeah, I know this is not considered a great vintage, but this is a Cracking Claret! Leaner in style and not a verbose powerhouse, it still delivers an elegant rendition of traditional Pauillac flavors. The cherry was more like kirsch liqueur, the cassis, graphite, leather, gravel, tobacco, the bay leaf... all beautifully delineated and intense. The mid palate was polished to perfection. Tannins are sturdy enough but seamless & integrated. The finish persists and invites another drink. Got these on a great deal from K&L back in the day and glad I did! In a great drinking window right now. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.5

WNH Montelena Estate virtual tasting. Others represented were the ‘94 (evidently corked), ‘01, ‘03, ‘07, ‘15.

I may be an outlier here, but Montelena is one of the few wineries where I not only don’t care for them young, I just honestly don’t enjoy them at all (and that’s coming from someone who enjoys the likes of Myriad, Bevan, Rivers Marie, etc on the young side). For my preference, they are just so vastly better with 15+yrs of age to them. YMMV.

After standing this upright for about two weeks, I gave this about a 45min decant. Starting off fairly thin and having some funk to blow off, it really bulked up after an hour and a half. Dark ruby/tawny in the glass. Reminiscent of left bank Bordeaux (leather, herbs de Provence, only a hint of tobacco), but a sweet cherry liqueur and dried cranberry on the nose bring this back to possibly New World. On the palate it sports underripe and dried black cherries, red clay, cedar, bay leaf, and earthy tertiary notes. Gripping, tannic finish with balanced acidity. In harmony here. I’d say this likely has another 3-5yrs in this beautiful drinking window before evolving more. — 4 years ago

Sidney Jackson

9.0

Not bad for the price def drink again! — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great vintage for DB that is still showing up at 65 yrs with notes of dried cherry, berry fruits, cedar, leather, savory spices, dried herbs, forest floor, lead pencil & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Sweet black fruits, earth, leather, tobacco leaf, dried herbs & a touch of carob. Although drinking well now, I would drink up as I can’t see this getting better with more time. — 6 years ago

William Hughes

9.3

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 7 years ago

Simone M

9.1

Light and tasty — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

The 2014 vintage was the last harvest while Serge Hochar was still alive. He tragically drowned while on holiday, NYE in 2014. I have no logical reason to be wary of Musar’s future as the team involved in producing the wines have been in place for some time. However, Serge’s death was for me, the loss of an wine hero. This is my first experience with the 2014 and I can’t help but reflect on the unforgettable experiences I’ve had drinking wines that he produced.

Decanted for several hours prior to dinner, the wine appears a deep purple turning garnet after plenty of air with an opaque core. High intensity, medium+ viscosity, a touch of sediment. On the nose, this is a wild carnival for the senses with cherries, mulberries, rhubarb pie, Twin Bing, harissa, kofta, pipe tobacco, oud, teriyaki, and event canned peaches (though only after some time in the glass). On the palate, things are much more modest with a very compelling cherry compote and bright cranberry notes with some tobacco and baking spices. Very primary at this stage. Medium tannin with medium+ acid. The finish long…forever and a day with dried cherries and dates bringing me home. While still an infant, this is shaping up to be a lovely and long-lived vintage of Musar Rouge. Cheers, Serge. Your legacy lives on. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Merry Christmas 🎄 to those celebrating.

Homemade pizza calls for a delish Tuscan, Sangiovese-based blend.

This wine is deep ruby. It has medium(+) intensity in aromas. Aromas are developing and include primary notes of black cherry, blackberry, plum, violet, tomato leaf, black licorice, black pepper, and dried mint, secondary notes of cedar, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, and tertiary noses of tobacco, leather, and barnyard.

This is a dry wine. It has medium (+) acidity, a full body, medium alcohol, medium tannins, and medium intensity of flavors that mirror those on the nose. The finish is medium(+).

Tignanello, Marchesi Antinori. Toscana, IGT. Vintage 2014. ABV 13.5%. — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark purple tawny and opaque x2. Has an old world bouquet in the nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco leaf, moist forest floor and leather saddle. Rich and luscious in the mouth. Tannins resolved, leaving a velvet fruit coating in the finish. Really good tonight. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

There is nothing like taking a $31 bottle of Napa Cabernet and turning it into liquid gold. All you have to do is buy a good producer’s decent vintage or better and hold it in bottle for nearly 10 years or longer. Bottle age can’t be accomplished in a decanter, no matter how long you decant it. It simply will not round out the wine, make the tannins well resolved, integrate all the flavors that equate to a nice complex wine.

I was saddened to see a quality Napa Valley Pioneer recently sell its winery. I am sure somewhere Joe Heitz is beside himself. However, nothing stands for forever. We’ll see what the new owners do with it. Certainly, the last free quality free tasting in Napa Valley is gone forever. To be continued...

The nose reveals; dark currants, ripe, ruby, slightly candied fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, blueberries and cherry kirsch. Sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned soil, anise, steep fruit tea, limestone minerals, dry crushed rock, underbrush, soft leather, hints of dry herbs, moist clay with candied, bright, dark, red, blue florals and violets for days.

The body is full, very round and gorgeous across the palate. The tannins are about 80% resolved but, still showing some teeth. The structure, tension, length and balance have hit the top of the bell curve and will hold there awhile longer. There is nothing in this wine that bites back or is astringent. Dark currants, ripe, ruby, slightly candied fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, blueberries, raspberries on the high palate and long set with cherry kirsch. Sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned soil, anise, steep fruit tea, caramel, some milk chocolate, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, underbrush, soft leather, touch of graphite, hints of dry herbs, moist clay with amazing candied, bright, dark, red, blue florals and violets for days. The acidity is like a palate waterfall. The long finish is; delicious, gorgeous, ruby, well balanced, elegant with polish that persists nicely for minutes.

Photos of; Heitz vineyard, tasting bar/room on Hwy 29, sitting area outside the tasting room and Heitz winery and Estate vines. — 6 years ago

WineMascot

9.1

1982, amazingly this needed time to open up. Menthol and tobacco leaf lead with the finish of warm blue fruit. — 7 years ago