Medium bodied, only a trace of red sediment, fine tannins, no brown edge at all (remarkable for a 45 year old red), in terms of balance very slight excess acidity if you searched for it but this made for a lingering berry finish so not really much of a defect - leather nose was somewhat diminished but complex lingering cherry palate - no numeric score for this beautiful old wine from a forgotten humble vintage
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Mid shoulder fill, corroded capsule. Cork crumbled even with the ah-so, but upon first whiff of beautiful violets, old books and kirsch. Double decanted for 3 hours before drinking. Remarkably consistent with last year’s bottle, although this showed a bit cleaner and fresher. Very alive in the mouth, and it only progressively gets better over 5 hours. Plenty of lift and fruit left, in the form of Balsamic strawberry and black cherry, buffered by slate and chalk. Vibrant acid. Tertiary notes abound - old library, leather gloves, soy and wet earth. Just lovely.
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Drank for Geoff’s birthday. Mid-shoulder fill, soft spongy cork that I wisely used the ah-so to get out. Slow ox for 3 hours, then decanted. Brown-garnet, clear, very little sediment. Nose has a wonderful perfume of cherries, raisins, violets, Cassis, and a fair amount of horse poo, which thankfully blows off after an hour. On the palate, I first think it’s mostly dead - all tertiary, good acid but no fruit, a fair amount of oxidation, more brett. Over the course of 3 hours, it springs back to life, with red and black berries, raisin, soy, mushroom, and a finish that just radiates. Definitely on the downslope but sunseting gracefully. Will open my other bottle on my birthday next year.
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This is what Heitz is about. No decant. A magnificent delicate nose of red fruit, mint, cedar and (sorry Joe) eucalyptus. Superb balance; fine tannins still giving enough structure. Not a hugely concentrated wine, but hits all the right spots.
Martha's Vineyard is a fabulous wine- I had the '74 and the '85 twice in succession recently, and they were outstanding. But for me Bella Oaks has more of a unique personality. To me that minty freshness is what defines Heitz.
This is at peak but will hold for another ten years at least. Didn't show any signs of fading over the course of dinner.
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Solid 92. What a great surprise. Sweet, good fruit, amazing depth and long finish for a 70's California Cabernet. Chocolate, cherry, anise, tobacco, soft tannins. Got better with time. Just wish we could have waited to drink for 2 more hrs.
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Fully mature and evolved. The fruit seems to be fading just a touch (I've had several bottles of this wine, including a magnum, over the past half-decade). Wonderful secondary notes. Nice acidity. Surprising length on the finish. A sleeper of the vintage, along with the Ridge Monte Bello.
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Well, this was a lovely surprise. Well-cellared and un-moved for the last 19 years, I feared that this wouldn't survive the shock of a move to a new storage facility - so we opened it on Saturday morning during a break in the carrying of heavy cases, alongside the Martha's '74.
Cork in perfect condition, and came out cleanly. No hint of bottle stink - just an immediately appealing warm, fruity aroma.
Tremendous colour as it hit the glass - deep, limpid garnet with very lilttle tawny hue. Clear and bright. And then the bouquet, quite literally, filled the room. Warm, ripe cassis, wild mint and eucalyptus - classic Heitz.
The wine was in perfect condition and, while not young, showing not a hint of peaking - this is absolutely in its prime. The closest thing I've had to this was a '70 Gruaud Larose, about ten years ago. The sheer poise of the still-evident acidity balancing the fruit and tannin was marvellous. Bella Oaks has always been my favourite of the Heitz Cabs, and this more than lived up to its billing.
The only way to get a wine like this at 33 years old is for it to be perfectly crafted when it enters the bottle. I'm in awe.
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From pristine mag. While this is only a few years younger than the preceding Mayacamas it is a world apart. The nose here is hightoned and again with perfect freshness to the mature aromas of cedary oak, leather, bitter roots, camphor and sweetly lush plum jam. The attack here is packed full of ripe fruit, the mouthful of cassis supported by resolving tannins that lead to a long finish of spicy, vibrant red fruit and a finale of persimmon. This is focused and fruity if a bit simple and obvious in comparison to the Mayacamas but none-the-less a wonderful old Cali cab.
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Old Cabs at Zoe (Zoe's): I thought this was going to continue the streak of great mature CA Cabs, but after a brief promise it faded. The nose initially showed dark plum mixed with cocoa powder and leather, but dipped a bit picking up some soy notes and generally becoming more reticent on the fruit side. It didn't have much intensity or weight in the mouth, although it was not at all unpleasant. It just seemed to struggle a bit to keep up with the 2 wines next to it. Still, it was clearly well crafted, even if a bit tired.
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1977 Heitz, Bella Oaks, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California, USA (double blind, from memory): Light garnet, bit brick, many but thin tears, clear. Lovage, coriander, soy sauce in the nose. Slim body, very ripe, lost in acidity. Finish rather short. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 15 for taste + 5 for overall = total score of 87. My guess was a rather old Bordeaux like Malescot St. Exupery 1979
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Concentrated aromas to start showing leather, smoky cherry, leather. Similar on palate with a hint of cocoa. Subtle and mellow. Aromas startedt o fade after 45 minutes, palate perhaps 15 or 30 minutes later.
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Bright disc. Medium garnet/amber robe with orange/amber rim. Clean nose, showing very intense plum, raisin, chocolate, leather and clove. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with melted tannins and a syrupy texture. Similar complex flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. Very surprising! This drought-year wine has retained its concentrated intensity and is still very enjoyable.
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1977 Bella Oaks, 1977 Phelps Eisele, and 1976 Chappellet: Bright red color in the glass, cough drops, tarry, slightly earthy almost briary fruit on the nose, lovely, smooth cabernet taste, medium/big body, very tasty, long finish, almost thick finish.
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1/8/2023 - BeginTheBourgogne Likes this wine:
Medium bodied, only a trace of red sediment, fine tannins, no brown edge at all (remarkable for a 45 year old red), in terms of balance very slight excess acidity if you searched for it but this made for a lingering berry finish so not really much of a defect - leather nose was somewhat diminished but complex lingering cherry palate - no numeric score for this beautiful old wine from a forgotten humble vintage
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5/12/2019 - ohne_musik wrote: 94 Points
Mid shoulder fill, corroded capsule. Cork crumbled even with the ah-so, but upon first whiff of beautiful violets, old books and kirsch. Double decanted for 3 hours before drinking. Remarkably consistent with last year’s bottle, although this showed a bit cleaner and fresher. Very alive in the mouth, and it only progressively gets better over 5 hours. Plenty of lift and fruit left, in the form of Balsamic strawberry and black cherry, buffered by slate and chalk. Vibrant acid. Tertiary notes abound - old library, leather gloves, soy and wet earth. Just lovely.
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10/13/2018 - ohne_musik wrote: 92 Points
Drank for Geoff’s birthday. Mid-shoulder fill, soft spongy cork that I wisely used the ah-so to get out. Slow ox for 3 hours, then decanted. Brown-garnet, clear, very little sediment. Nose has a wonderful perfume of cherries, raisins, violets, Cassis, and a fair amount of horse poo, which thankfully blows off after an hour. On the palate, I first think it’s mostly dead - all tertiary, good acid but no fruit, a fair amount of oxidation, more brett. Over the course of 3 hours, it springs back to life, with red and black berries, raisin, soy, mushroom, and a finish that just radiates. Definitely on the downslope but sunseting gracefully. Will open my other bottle on my birthday next year.
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7/5/2018 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is what Heitz is about. No decant. A magnificent delicate nose of red fruit, mint, cedar and (sorry Joe) eucalyptus. Superb balance; fine tannins still giving enough structure. Not a hugely concentrated wine, but hits all the right spots.
Martha's Vineyard is a fabulous wine- I had the '74 and the '85 twice in succession recently, and they were outstanding. But for me Bella Oaks has more of a unique personality. To me that minty freshness is what defines Heitz.
This is at peak but will hold for another ten years at least. Didn't show any signs of fading over the course of dinner.
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2/24/2018 - gzim Likes this wine: 90 Points
Brought to a blind dinner. Plenty of life left. Nice balance, some creosote lots of dark berries and a little pinesap. Nice mouthfeel
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9/20/2013 - anonymoose12345 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
This bottle was not showing well. Alcohol on the nose and palate. Tart finish. Just not interesting or balanced.
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1/20/2012 - Bill@wade1.com wrote: 92 Points
Solid 92. What a great surprise. Sweet, good fruit, amazing depth and long finish for a 70's California Cabernet. Chocolate, cherry, anise, tobacco, soft tannins. Got better with time. Just wish we could have waited to drink for 2 more hrs.
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3/26/2011 - jdfree wrote: 92 Points
Fully mature and evolved. The fruit seems to be fading just a touch (I've had several bottles of this wine, including a magnum, over the past half-decade). Wonderful secondary notes. Nice acidity. Surprising length on the finish. A sleeper of the vintage, along with the Ridge Monte Bello.
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7/31/2010 - the noble rotter Likes this wine:
Well, this was a lovely surprise. Well-cellared and un-moved for the last 19 years, I feared that this wouldn't survive the shock of a move to a new storage facility - so we opened it on Saturday morning during a break in the carrying of heavy cases, alongside the Martha's '74.
Cork in perfect condition, and came out cleanly. No hint of bottle stink - just an immediately appealing warm, fruity aroma.
Tremendous colour as it hit the glass - deep, limpid garnet with very lilttle tawny hue. Clear and bright. And then the bouquet, quite literally, filled the room. Warm, ripe cassis, wild mint and eucalyptus - classic Heitz.
The wine was in perfect condition and, while not young, showing not a hint of peaking - this is absolutely in its prime. The closest thing I've had to this was a '70 Gruaud Larose, about ten years ago. The sheer poise of the still-evident acidity balancing the fruit and tannin was marvellous. Bella Oaks has always been my favourite of the Heitz Cabs, and this more than lived up to its billing.
The only way to get a wine like this at 33 years old is for it to be perfectly crafted when it enters the bottle. I'm in awe.
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2/26/2008 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 91 Points
From pristine mag. While this is only a few years younger than the preceding Mayacamas it is a world apart. The nose here is hightoned and again with perfect freshness to the mature aromas of cedary oak, leather, bitter roots, camphor and sweetly lush plum jam. The attack here is packed full of ripe fruit, the mouthful of cassis supported by resolving tannins that lead to a long finish of spicy, vibrant red fruit and a finale of persimmon. This is focused and fruity if a bit simple and obvious in comparison to the Mayacamas but none-the-less a wonderful old Cali cab.
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2/26/2008 - bsherwin wrote:
Old Cabs at Zoe (Zoe's): I thought this was going to continue the streak of great mature CA Cabs, but after a brief promise it faded. The nose initially showed dark plum mixed with cocoa powder and leather, but dipped a bit picking up some soy notes and generally becoming more reticent on the fruit side. It didn't have much intensity or weight in the mouth, although it was not at all unpleasant. It just seemed to struggle a bit to keep up with the 2 wines next to it. Still, it was clearly well crafted, even if a bit tired.
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12/18/2007 - LoireFan wrote: 92 Points
Excellent+. Bottle was in near perfect condition.
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2/14/2004 - Wilfried wrote: 87 Points
1977 Heitz, Bella Oaks, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California, USA (double blind, from memory): Light garnet, bit brick, many but thin tears, clear. Lovage, coriander, soy sauce in the nose. Slim body, very ripe, lost in acidity. Finish rather short. Score: 50 + 3 for optic + 14 for bouquet + 15 for taste + 5 for overall = total score of 87.
My guess was a rather old Bordeaux like Malescot St. Exupery 1979
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11/4/2003 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Concentrated aromas to start showing leather, smoky cherry, leather. Similar on palate with a hint of cocoa. Subtle and mellow. Aromas startedt o fade after 45 minutes, palate perhaps 15 or 30 minutes later.
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3/18/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Bright disc. Medium garnet/amber robe with orange/amber rim. Clean nose, showing very intense plum, raisin, chocolate, leather and clove. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with melted tannins and a syrupy texture. Similar complex flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. Very surprising! This drought-year wine has retained its concentrated intensity and is still very enjoyable.
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6/11/2002 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
1977 Bella Oaks, 1977 Phelps Eisele, and 1976 Chappellet: Bright red color in the glass, cough drops, tarry, slightly earthy almost briary fruit on the nose, lovely, smooth cabernet taste, medium/big body, very tasty, long finish, almost thick finish.
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