December 16, 2023 - Started on Friday evening by pitting two well-established producers against each other. Heitz Cellars from Napa Valley and Clos Mogador from Priorat. Both have today exactly the same price on Systembolaget (899 SEK), current vintage Heitz 2016 (soon 2017) Clos Mogador 2020. Continued on Saturday evening to see how the wines developed.
Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
8 months in neutral oak tanks, 2 years in 50% new and 50% used French oak barrels, followed by 18 months in bottle.
Clos Mogador Gratallops 2017
45% Garnatxa, 29% Carinyena, 16% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
18 months in 300 liter barrels and 2,000 liter barrels.
Both were dubble decanted and had approx. 1 hour in a decanter.
Heitz
One of the classic producers in Napa, Joe Heitz started in 1961. Participated in the legendary "Judgement of Paris 1976" with their prestige wine Martha's Vineyard vintage 1970.
Have drunk several vintages of Heitz and know that it is not a wine to stress about. Friday gave about what I thought, restrained, spreads a little and the fruit didn’t perform as you would like. But on Saturday this wine shows itself from a more positive side, more homogeneous, good structure, classic Cab fruit, black currants, tobacco, violet and cigar box. This is a more elegant variant of the Cab from Napa.
Is it worth its price today? I don't think so, when I bought vintage 2014 the price was around SEK 600 - 700. No stress for those of you who have 2014 in the cellar, give it time if you intend to open it in the near future.
Clos Mogador
René Barbier started in 1979 and his first wine was Clos Mogador, which is also the estate's prestige wine. Just like Heitz, Clos Mogador needs time in the cellar to find its harmony. I drank the 2006 vintage at the beginning of the summer, which was stunning.
Friday the wine was also scattered at first, the alcohol hits too much (15.5%), but after about 2 hours there is a significant difference. What stands out is that tannins and acidity are more noticeable compared to Heitz, incredibly fine tannins. Saturday will also be a step in the right direction, better harmony now, like Heitz, most things fall into place. Dark berries with a nice structure but there is residual sweetness that takes up a little too much space, and the alcohol sticks a little too much for my taste. This wine needs at least 5 years before everything is in place, I think 😊.
Is it worth its price today? not today, but if it gets the development that Clos Mogador usually gets with a little age, then the answer is Yes, time will tell.
August 12, 2023 - Very much old school in balance and tone - only started opening after an hour or so open, and still was primarily savory and cool, not at all modern oak bomb napa cab.
June 20, 2023 - Decanted for about two hours. This wine opened up and showed beautifully. Clearly defined CA Cab notes, all in balance, with fruit showing strongly. This is drinking at its peak. Very enjoyable.
April 16, 2023 - Powerful, yet not overly bold and jammy. Firm structure, with dark fruits, and hints of chocolate and smoke.
April 8, 2023 - Beautiful cab. Perfect now
February 7, 2023 - Red fruit more than black fruit flavors. Balanced acidity and tannins. Medium weight. No hot, fruit bomb here. Simple without a ton of complexity or long finishes but enjoyable to drink with and without food.
Like on CTer said, shows even better on the second day after opening as long as you don’t mind a touch of oxidation.
January 25, 2023 - Very good! Wonderful balance of Cali fruit, with the elegance one expects from Heitz. Medium weight. Some spice, blueberry, very pure. Long refined, straightforward. Drinking now and will last a decade at least.
November 2, 2022 - Very nice drinking. Really opened up after a one hour decant
May 29, 2022 - Drank over 2 nights. Better on night 2. Dark red color. On nose, dark cherry, rubber (went away on night 2), bell pepper (especially with air and on night 2) and tobacco. Palate consistent with nose with medium body, medium+ tannins, low acidity and long finish. 89+/- on night 1, 91+ on night 2.
May 28, 2022 - Decanted 1 hour. Needed more time to decant. Ideally lay down a few more years before opening.