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

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%. — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Jeroen Koenen

9.4

Dusty, earthy nose of tea leaf, humidor, caramel-latte, leather and damp soil. The structured palate echoes the nose but also reveals cedar, graphite, beef blood and dark forest fruit. Tannines are wonderfully rounded and ripe. Medium to full-bodied, this is a gorgeous 95-leftbanker. 🤙🏻 — 6 years ago

WC Fields

9.4

Delicious. Blackberries, forest floor, tobacco leaf, anise, pepper, cloves, mint with bitter chocolate. Decanted 90min and the tannins were an excellent foil to a prime tomahawk ribeye. “Save the neck for me Clark!” — 7 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

Scott Howard

9.5

Because one bottle of wine is not enough for turning 50. Heading into the old stuff for the next couple of weeks to celebrate. I hope to age as well as this wine. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This is the most picturesque Chateau in Bordeaux. Oh...and they make a pretty amazing Bordeaux. It's a good first look at the 03 vintage from my five bottle set. There are steak wines and then there are steak wines. This was a 10 pair with the T-bone...Heaven. The tannins have softened but have many years ahead to get to that perfect place. The mouthfeel is full, round, creamy and elegant. The fruits have a not too sweet liqueur style. They are; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, sweet tobacco leaf, anise, used leather, black tea, used coffee grounds, rich wet black turned earth, stones, dry red florals, spice; clove, nutmeg, baking spices; very light vanilla, touch of caramel, dark chocolate and acidity that pours over the palate. There is the start of harmony in the structure, length, balance and tension. The finish lasts a full two-minutes and it crushed with the T-bone. Next bottle in 5-7 years. For the legions of you on Delectable crushing only young Napa Cabernet, you have no idea what you're missing in aged Bordeaux...forget about it...even vs. well aged Napa Cabernet. Respect!!! 3-4 hour decant and it needed every second of it. — 8 years ago

Christopher Legere

9.1

Good cab with fruit flavors — 9 years ago

Kari Johnson

9.6

Smooth flavor, fruity, sweet but not too sweet — 10 years ago

Lesa Gough

9.1

Garnet with rim variation turning brick/terracota, corn on the cob, dill, molasses. — 10 years ago

DAL 9000

9.1

Very smooth initial flavor. Light bodied plummy that fills the nose with red berries after swallowing. More intense after it breathes. — 12 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

Mike Saviage

9.3

Deep, dark color. Sharp nose. Notes of tobacco leaf, cut Cuban cigar, black fruit and some cedar wood. Very angular in the mouth. This was good but had an odd mean streak in it that was herbal and very strong. After 7 hours of air it mellowed a bit. — 5 years ago

Sidney Jackson

9.0

Not bad for the price def drink again! — 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

Rob Mayes

9.7

Outstanding. Winner of the weekend. — 8 years ago

Rose’s Cafe

9.1

Nice! Juicy with notes of oak and vanilla. 😀🍷 — 9 years ago

Kelsey Redd

9.0

Chardonnay: tropical fruit, butterscotch, pineapple, peach, nectarine. Oak character. Rich texture and a creamy mouth-feel. — 9 years ago

Craig Williams

9.0

1.5 L bottle Other than a really poor quality cork that crumbled upon removal, this wine remains a youthful dark red with black currant, tobacco leaf-savory soy aromas. In good shape for such a modestly extracted wine. Demonstrates the strength of quality harvest conditions, which '94 was in many ways. — 10 years ago

Nathan Evans

9.0

Delicious! Very aromatic and sweet! — 10 years ago

Helen Keplinger

Owner/Winemaker Keplinger Wines

9.0

Ok not a great year but still beautiful - iodine, hibiscus, tobacco leaf, mortadella, red currant — 11 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. — 5 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

Lynn Gowdy

9.0

La Rioja Alta 2007 Grand Reserva 904- cherry, forest spice, forest red and black berries, cinnamon, slight leather, mushrooms, bay leaf, dried herbs, sousbois, smooth drying resolved tannins that are fondue like, a small element of astringency. The color has fallen out yet very traditional style Rioja. — 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

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A redo after that disappointing 2002 Pichon Lalande two weeks ago on #steakandclaret night. While this is not again what I expect from this producer, it is better than the 02. Nose of cedar, fresh tobacco, stones and dry soil, quiet baking baking spices, ripe & lean; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, hues of blueberries, light mushroom, soft leather, black licorice cola and fresh red florals. The body is leaner to medium and well resolved. The fruits are fresh & bright. Dark cherries, cherries, lean blackberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate & cranberry juice, hues of blue fruits, saddle-wood, sweet suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar, dry stones, top soil & rich turned dark earth, limestone minerals, dry stems, slight touch of dry herbs, round, mouthwatering acidity and lean, long, well balanced fruit & earth, good structured finish with length. Finish lasts a full minute. Still 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. 9.3 with the ribeye. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

First, a person has to pause and realize how lucky they are to drink this wine from 3L. Thanks Clyde for opening. This is in a perfect stage. Such evolution, length, balance, structure. Love the lower 80's alcohol levels. It's rich, lush and near perfect. Dark cassis; ripe and resolved blackberries, dark cherries, black plum w/skin, mixed berry liqueur, tobacco leaf, leather so soft you would wish it as a pillow cover, dry pebbles, dark rich earth, perfect acidity and a rich, elegant, ripe dark fruit finish. In 3L, this wine still has 10-15 years. — 9 years ago

Lili Brock

10

Excellent. Sweet but not overbearing. — 10 years ago

Mark Calkin

9.2

#wsetschool Deeply ruby coloured top level Rioja with large quantity of Graciano given it that deep intensity. Pronounced nose of black cherries, red currants and cranberries, with wet leaf notes. There are smoke and toast, cinnamon and cedar from its time in oak, and of course there are tertiary aromas from bottle ageing, like: tobacco, game, leather and dried fruits. This has medium (+) tannins and acidity and an excellent long finish. — 10 years ago

Morgan Harris

Head Sommelier Aureole New York

9.4

2011. Blanc. No one drinks enough of this. That's because there are so few things to which its a good partner, but it would be an incredible cheese-and-charcuterie wine. Broad and oily, there's just enough acid to keep you coming back for more. Sun-baked yellow orchard fruits dominate, but there's more exotic fruits too (mango and dried pineapple) yellow flowers, tons of almond husk bitterness, green olives, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon, white cheddar. Oak is assertively present but not overwhelming. Place dominates over grapes here, as it's a mix of Clairette and Grenache Blanc and a hodge-podge of other things. — 10 years ago