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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 29 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by rawdealbuffy on 6/7/2022: Lovely mature Cali Cab. Baked Strawberry, Ripe Raspberry, Eucalyptus, and Cigar. Medium+ acid. Great on the mid-palate and long finish. It can definitely age longer depending on how far away from the fruit spectrum you want to go but in a great spot right now. (906 views) | | | Tasted by RoryMcI on 3/5/2022 & rated 92 points: Wonderfully aged wine. Lasted over 2hrs after being opened. We loved the lower alcohol content that was common in yesteryear vintages. (869 views) | | | Tasted by Rutherford64 on 12/12/2021 & rated 89 points: This was still a wonderful bottle, albeit past its prime. Deep dark color, with a wonderful oak nose. Definitely improved with time in the glass. Some cherry and spice, with a lovely finish. I enjoyed it! (927 views) | | | Tasted by Charlie C on 8/1/2020 & rated 79 points: My last bottle was two years ago. I liked it then and I said then that I should drink my remaining bottles over the next year or so. I should have taken my own advice. The nose has some light cedary notes. But the palate immediately tells you this is well past prime. Faded red fruit, soft tannins, negligible acidity, Finish is short and undistinguished. (2097 views) | | | Tasted by kevints on 8/25/2019 & rated 90 points: Literally the same experience as Charlie C below. (2371 views) | | | Tasted by Charlie C on 7/29/2018 & rated 91 points: Opened and let to air for about 30 minutes before serving. Small expectations all of which were exceeded. Faint, cherry and light spice nose. It opened up more with air. First impression on tasting was "well, it's not dead by any means, but I'm not overwhelmed by what I taste." With air and food that changed. Bright cherry and spice on the palate. Firm tannins and lovely acidity. At peak, the impression is of perfect balance. A long finish with a hint of warm spice that fades gracefully to the finish. The important thing to note about this wine is that it improved with air for about an hour after serving then slowly faded. Overall impression is of a graceful and lovely example of a Napa Cab. Only 13.5% ABV. I have two more which I will drink over the next year. 91 points at peak, 88 overall. (2452 views) | | | Tasted by ZachF88 on 6/26/2018 & rated 97 points: Just beautiful with 6 yrs f life left. Still good red fruit with tobacco, cocoa, forest floor. Looooong finish. Just absolutely beautiful. (2598 views) | | | Tasted by Clrv on 5/26/2018 & rated 90 points: Garnet color with hints of forest floor and dark fruit. Light body with Slight tannins and acidity but the two were still balanced. Slight tobacco and dry dark fruit with a medium finish. Although this bottle is well past its prime and is fading. I would say you have maybe another year before it's gone. (2559 views) | | | Tasted by rsprouse on 9/22/2017 & rated 92 points: I bought two cases of this wine back in 1999. Very glad I did. I have a good controlled storage locker, and the wine is holding nicely even now, 18 years later. It still has a layer of silky tannins over a medium weight body of dark fruits and cherries. I get a little earthy note as well, maybe this is what people refer to as the Rutherford dust. It sure went well tonight with a rare steak. Looking forward to how the remaining 13 bottles will evolve. (2625 views) | | | Tasted by Wine_lvr on 9/18/2014 & rated 94 points: Heitz, Heitz, Heitz and Heitz: Tasting note to follow (6116 views) | | | Tasted by carsgar on 6/5/2012 & rated 93 points: Serious surprise here - did not expect this to be good but it was surprisingly good. Delicious fruit that absolutely outshone a 1985 Caymus Special Select we also tasted. Definitely drink now but do not be surprised at how good it may be. Enjoy! (6676 views) | | | Tasted by jsebiri on 2/26/2012: not sure what to think here , very good bottle of wine for starters. But this didn't have the standard old cali cab leather and tar in my opinion . It was very fruity and smooth . Real easy to drink , very different from what i have come to expect from older cali cabs. Too bad it is my last one. Real nice wine (6425 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 1/1/2012 & rated 91 points: Nice caramel, toffee and herbs on the nose. A little sour, medium weight mouth with light fruit and good spice notes, but a really great nice long finish. These notes are after the bottle has been open 24 hours, it seems that its improved since last night. (6487 views) | | | Tasted by CHL on 1/13/2011 & rated 93 points: with Jonathan, with brisket, visit for Norfolk Public Library. Well appreciated. (6780 views) | | | Tasted by bowempe on 5/23/2010 & rated 92 points: Had this wine a while back and just now catching up on the rating but it delivered well. Drinking great right now and could probably go another couple of years. Very well balanced. (4629 views) | | | Tasted by VinoKep on 3/7/2010 & rated 91 points: Amazingly, a perfect cork. This wine doesn't have a speck of tannin left, has a full mouthfeel and smooth fruit, some buttery oak. Surprise to the upside as I thought it would be past prime. Opened up in glass over 1.5 hours. (3676 views) | | | Tasted by prettydeceextrap on 1/29/2010 & rated 72 points: (D) This wine wasn't light, it was lacking. After about 3 hours, some fruit started to come out, thought it never became more than average. The nose was promising, with some slightly herbal and sweet notes. At first, zero fruit up front. The finish was always balanced and smooth, with some cream and light tartness. Overall, I think the wine probably "made it," but was never destined for greatness. If you have them, definitely drink them now while they can still at least be drinkable. (3579 views) | | | Tasted by RPerro on 11/30/2009 & rated 92 points: Mr. Mike's Odd Tasting: Old California Cabernets & Blends (John's Marketplace, Portland, OR): Surprisingly bold and firm, with chewy tannins and some "Rutherford Dust" characteristics. Blackberry fruit is smooth and lush, with additional flavors of earth and olives. The CT drinking window is way off...this has another 4-5 years in it. (4170 views) | | | Tasted by cjstrunk on 7/17/2009 & rated 93 points: Wow, even I thought this would be past prime..WRONG.
Brick color, edar notes, but not old by any means. If you have one, try it. It's stunning. (4291 views) | | | Tasted by www.westconcordliquors.com on 4/12/2009 & rated 90 points: reddish brown in color now. The cork broke but the wine was fine. I would recommend decanting for two hours. Upon opening nose was very closed, slight medical tape smell. After an hour or so in the glass the nose started to come arond a little bit with heavy tobacco, celery and plum. Smooth texture in the mouth, medium acidity, low tannins. Medium weight weight in the mouth. Many people would call this wine "light" compared to the wines being produced today. This wine is still pretty juicy after a couple hours of air. Black currant smells persist on mid palate. Long, smooth, slight sour finish. This wine is past it's prime but if you are a fan of older wines, this wine is still great.....if you can find it on sale. (4156 views) | | | Tasted by Keith Levenberg on 3/14/2008 & rated 94 points: Really pretty wine. My first Bella Oaks and hard not to measure it against the yardstick of Martha's Vineyard - this comes close in finesse to the '80s-era Martha's I've been drinking but is much lighter in material; I can understand why some people commented it's at its peak. Interestingly, for the first glass of this it finished with an evocative fresh mint-leaf note that reputation would normally ascribe to Martha's, but it was more vivid to me here than it's ever been there. But then it goes away and reveals a perfectly integrated mature cabernet with no rough edges, very gratifying to drink and we finished every drop. (4740 views) | | | Tasted by win on 10/14/2006 & rated 86 points: Blind Birthday Tasting (Win's House - Texas): Bottle No. 3331, bottled March 1998 of a total of 51,360 bottles and 1200 Magnums. Actually, a bit disappointing & past its prime. (Sooners) (6191 views) | | | Tasted by LarryF on 8/20/2006 & rated 88 points: drink up as it is on the downside of the curve. A tad disappointing to be honest. (5212 views) | | | Tasted by mmyette on 4/17/2006 & rated 91 points: Peaking now, this cabernet was smooth, with cherry, black currant, white pepper, and vanilla oak on the palate, well-balanced with a moderate finish. A touch thin in the late middle. But hard to complain. Beautiful wine. (5284 views) | | | Tasted by Norman on 11/27/2005 & rated 86 points: a bit thin, past its prime. (5569 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Heitz Cellar Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Rutherford Rutherford,
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