2002 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (51) Avg Score: 92.5 points

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  7/20/2023 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Purchased directly from the winery.
  
  For my palate, this was in the perfect spot. Dark fruited, perfect balance, resolved, and with bold and distinct mintiness (some might call it eucalyptus). Most Martha's vintages I've had were from the 70s, but scarcity factor aside, I'll take the 02s any day.

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  12/27/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 94 Points

  3 hour decant, which nailed the sweet spot
  
  Fresh and pungent with notes of mint, dark blue fruit, flowers, and spice. Bright and bold, with beautiful cocoa, black cherries and blue fruit, young rich tannins and lengthy finish. In the sweet spot but even upside from here. Delicious 94/95 tonight

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  12/21/2022 - soyhead wrote:

  very minty (i cant see how this would be called eucalyptus), with lots of sweet fruit. however the mintiness is almost overpowering. For food. Very fresh even at age 20.

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  7/10/2022 - Clarkmeister Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Time, maybe a little past time to drink. Nice start, good midpalate and fruit for about two hours, great finish

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  11/27/2021 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points

  From a Conterno Sensory. This has been open about 15 hours now (no access to a decanter). When opened it was totally dumb and I was worried. But the wine is finally starting to poke its head out of its shell and the data are promising. Dark fruits with hints of sweetness. The mint-herbal thing is starting to emerge along with dark spices. I have hope. This is really really dark and somewhat impenetrable. The palate is dark and very high acid.
  
  A few more hours and this is opening and deepening. Nose of menthol, mint or eucalyptus, dark fruits like blackberry and cassis, maybe a bit of pine or tar. Something dusty like cocoa powder. This is really dark and dense. The palate is big, maybe a bit of heat and volatility - mint and savory, dark sweet fruit. Really really big - not in a Parker way but in the 2001 monolith way. When trilled it shows a ton in reserve, I have hope that this will continue to open up.
  
  Now at t=+26 hours or so. Man this thing is a beast. Dark and inky in appearance. The nose is dark as well - graphite, mint, black fruits, wood and wood spice - when poured the nose is like a black wall that you smack into. Tons wound up in there. Vinnut's note from 2017 is just dead on here. This seems very old school to me with almost no development and god knows when it will be ready, 2040-2050?
  
  Day 4: Still opening. Really nice now - very dark nose, mint and herbs, blackberry and cassis, dusty, dark cocoa, wood, black cherry. Some volatility or high-toned aspect - like varnish or tea-tree extract or something. It's got a ton going on and still is incredibly wound. The palate is now somewhat resolved and its lost a little bit of oomph, but it is still very potent and pretty. Others have said 'full-bodied and polished" and that nails it. The finish is very woody at this point. Again, I think this wine will need a ton of time - 20-30 more years, and will really open up all the potential there is. Will it be profound or just excellent? - hard to tell. It feels right on the edge and I can't tell if that extra bit is hidden now or not there. Nose - 5-5.5+?/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 5+?/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5+?/2 = 16-17+?/20 (with 17-18/20 potential.)

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