Community Tasting Notes 25

• sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 points

  February 1, 2023 - Napa, Calif., Heitz 1986 Bella Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon. Light-mid ruby, amber edges (13.5 alc.); leather, red fruit, old wood, dried leaves, herbaceous nose; low-mid acids; low-mid tannins; semi-long old world leather and cedar finish. Past its prime a bit. 16-16.5 UC Davis scale, 90-91 others.

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• forceberry wrote: 87 points

  February 19, 2020 - Bottled in August 1990. Bottle #35518 of total 59688 bottles. 13,5% alcohol.
  
  Deep, somewhat translucent and quite concentrated dark ruby red color with a developed rusty hue and a pale brick-orange rim. Savory and very tertiary nose with aromas of sweet plummy fruit, some raisiny tones, a little bit of savory oak spice, light developed notes of dried figs, an oxidative hint of soy sauce and a sweet, lifted touch of balsamic VA. The wine is dry, dense and full-bodied on the palate with a rather chewy texture and quite tertiary flavors of sour cherries, crunchy redcurrants and sweeter forest fruits, some amaro bitterness and minty green tones, a little bit of licorice, light oxidative notes of soy sauce, a gamey hint of meat and a lifted touch of balsamic VA. The wine is enjoyably high in acidity, but the tannins have resolved fully and become almost nonexistent. The finish is dry, long and very subtly grippy with complex, tertiary flavors of soy sauce and hoi-sin, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of gamey meat, light earthy tones, a hint of tobacco and a touch of wizened blackcurrants.
  
  A very developed and rather tertiary Napa Cab that has started to go downhill. There is some fruit left here and the wine is still quite enjoyable with some nice sense of complexity, but the tannic structure has softened to the point that the wine is coming across as a bit too soft, and the fruit department has dried up for the most part, turning rather pruney. Most likely the wine was just opened 10 years too late. Still relatively good stuff, but obviously isn't showing its best anymore. If you have any bottles, this is better drunk sooner rather than later.

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• glucker wrote:

  June 24, 2018 - - Crimsom color.

• mflesh wrote: 92 points

  March 24, 2018 - Compared this to a 2003 Bella Oaks and a 1999 Heitz Napa Cab. 86 was a pretty good year for Napa cab. Comparing itself to these two above, this one is starting to show its age (no surprise there). This bottle still has great structure, fading fruit. Starting to show some vegetal notes, a little bit of a brett-ish quality. But the blackberry is definitely more "grandma's closet" kind of fruit. Still gets a solid score from me at 32 years of age!

  Comment

• glucker wrote: 92 points

  September 4, 2017 - - Crimsom color and has flavours of coffee - Drinking well.Probably at its peak.Will level off for a a few more years.

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1986
• Type Red
• Producer Heitz Cellar
• Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Bella Oaks
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Rutherford
• UPC Codes 098803011002, 098803018629

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 6 (2%)
• In Cellars 191 (54%)
• Consumed 156 (44%)

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