Heitz Martha's vertical 74-77 with an absolutely CURSED line up of chardonnay.
Major Domo
Tasted March 28, 2018 by clayfu with 447 views
Introduction
Got some bottles of pristine 74-77 Heitz Martha's with beautiful fills and color from original owner. Set up a dinner at Major Domo - the new hotness in DTLA and went at it.
Started off with an absolutely CURSED bracket of wine. Had the 77 Roulot Perrieres off the list (it was delicious when we had it last time at Major Domo) but this one was oxidized. Moved onto the 87 Eyrie Reserve Chardonnay.. also oxidized. I opened a 78 Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc ... oxidized. FINALLY I pulled out a 93 Raveneau Butteaux with AMAZING color and fill that I KNEW wouldn't be oxidized....
but it was corked.
We all cursed our luck and hoped the red wine flight would be better. Fortunately I had double decanted everything (but the 75, that was from another attendee) and they were all sound. WHEW.
Flight 1 (4 notes)
White
1987 The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Straight from the domaine and reconditioned. Unfortunately the bottle was SHOT. It was all oak and alcohol on the palate, zero fruit. Never really opened up.
Flight 2 (5 notes)
Red
1977 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
A good but not great wine, pretty shy in the beginning after a double decant. About 4 hours in, it started to develop more body on the palate with dry figs and dark cherries, the classic mint is still on the nose but not as powerful as the last bottle I had. Nice drink but not the best representation.
Red
1976 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
This wine is almost as good as I remember it 8 years ago. The nose was filled with eucalyptus, black cherry liquor and tobacco that attacked and attacked like a warm perfume. The palate was still dense and dark, marked with fine grained tannins, sweet cherry fruit, earth and cigar. Wine grew and filled out on the palate as the night went on, in a beautiful spot right now, as good as any aged 1st growth could be.
Red
1975 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
TINNNNNNNNNNNY bit corked. Not corked enough to overwhelm the fresh fruit and eucalyptus. But corked enough to impact the palate. Too bad, last two bottles have been really nice from this purchase.
Red
1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
I am surprised how long it took this wine to really start to show. Double decanted at 4:30pm and it wasn't until about 8:30pm when the wine really knit together for the last quarter of the bottle. The nose is a beautiful perfume of JUST the right amount of mint, dried red cherries and savory earth. It's an effortless wine, the fruit and medicinal herb just glides on the palate. Wine is fully resolved and elegant on the finish. I keep coming back to how seamless the wine is, just imagine delicate waves of flavor lapping at your tongue.
I wish there was a little more OOMPH on the wine to really push it up a notch, but it's hard to really have complaints on a wine that is pretty much effortless in its ability to please.
Red
1979 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California
Oh boy this wine was good. An absolute beast of a wine. Brawny and structured with thick tannins and dark oozing black fruit. Needed as much time as it could get to open up. Becomes really fresh and filled with juicy dark fruit mixed with cigar and spice. While the Heitz Martha's next to it were more a representation of California with riper red fruit and sweeter noses, the 79 Mayacamas could have fooled me as a top flight bordeaux. Still has years to go.
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.
