Enjoyed two bottles of this wine with our Christmas prime rib dinner. I was sweating it initially because the corks came out much easier than I expected. Both corks showed none of the telltale signs of leakage.
Decanted first bottle and let it sit for 1.5 hrs before drinking. Left the second in bottle to open up. Wine tannins had mellowed over the years but it still smelled and tasted fantastic with the meat. Glad we pulled it when we did.
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is slight sediment in the bottle. It smells like raspberry, oak and blackberry. It tastes like toast and nutmeg. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has medium acidity.
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After 20 years, I was surprised how this wine held up. I didn’t mean to hold it this long. It’s color was good and had not darkened. I enjoyed the wine. It was balanced and still had fruit. Since I have not had it before, I don’t have a reference for it’s peak.
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Somewhat dull in color, this wine paled next to other Napa Cabs of similar age. Black and red fruit on the nose gave way to roller coaster falloff on mid-palate, and never really recovered before fade to dry oregano, sage and eucalyptus finish. A bit of a disappointment in a wine I had saved since release.
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The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity. A little past its prime, but still very drinkable with red meat. The wine needed to decant for about 45 minutes, but opened nicely. Dark garnet color. Enjoyed with a standing rib roast.
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Very good wine. High neck fill. Closed upon opening. After 15 min it started to open nicely. Berries and woodsy aroma. Still had plenty of fruit and acidity. Had 20 sec+ finish. If you have it in your cellar, drink it in the near future
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This wine is still alive but I feel that there is a loss of vibrancy here. Don't get be wrong tho, at 20 years of age this wine has survived in a beautiful fashion. Drink up with a big piece of red meat. For us it was elk tenderloin. Fruit is slightly faded but minimal tertiary flavors or funk noted.
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. The body is full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity. One of the best wines I have had this season. Loved it!
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I always have a soft spot for Heitz, as the '97 Heitz Trailside was my epiphany wine. This particular bottle was a gift to my dad, who should have drank it by now, but it was sitting in his $99 wine cooler all these years. Opened on thanksgiving. Cellaring was not perfect, but the wine has still held up great. It's definitely entering into its secondary life, and as I expected, it is still silky, subtle and beautiful. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it was perfect at the end of the night, on its own, without food but with great conversation.
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Nicely aged, integrated cab. Tannins a bit soft, fruit still plentiful with medium length finish. Would say has peaked, but will remain interesting for a while.
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This wine is doing really well, but not improving any more. Red brick, dried red berry fruit, earth and a hint of mustiness that quickly dissipated. Great balance, all there. Long finish. Enjoy now.
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Opened my last bottle with with Tommy O and our wives on Pauley's Island. Served with a simple dinner of salad, steak and key lime pie. An initial funkiness on the nose, but it blew off quickly. Red brick color that was beautiful when the glass was held up to the setting sun. Pleasant violet and eucalyptus on the nose and that great dust from the Napa Valley floor. Red fruit (currant and raspberry) with noticeable chewy tannins in the beginning. It really smoothed out after about 15-20 minutes and had a wonderfully expressive finish of 20+ seconds. Sadly, within 90 minutes, it became a bit austere and thinner on the finish. That said, I wish I had more.
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American Belle 1st Edition (Switzerland): Tasted blind: Deep ruby red. Nose of black tea infused with red berries. Powerful, elegant wine. Tannins are a bit dry. TAste of Vanilla, coffee, black licorice. Compared to the Martha's 97 in the glass next to it this shows more balance, but is also more mature. Drink now - 2025.
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Much better than last bottle (4 years ago). We enjoyed this bottle following a 1999 d'Issan and this one didn't disappoint. Dark cherry, tobacco a hint of eucalyptus and some earth, light-to-medium bodied, seems to be holding up nicely, but I would drink up soon.
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I was concerned after seeing some of the recent CT reviews of this wine, but a little funk blew off after the bottle had been open for half hour to reveal the best characteristics Napa cabs can offer -- a beam of black and red currant fruit througout the nose and palate, with chocolate, cedar, tobacco, tanned leather, and hint of eucalyptus. Fruit turned to cherry and more like cherry pie toward the end. This bottle was a gift and has been in my cellar for a decade -- what a reward!
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Refined, middle weight '97 Cali Cab, which still possesses wonderful acidity and freshness. Laser-like red currant carries the wine into more subtle tobacco, spice and mineral. Flavors really linger on the finish. This still has plenty of life left in it. Drink now-2014. 92 pts.
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Plum, cassis, and blackberry on the nose, and also juniper berry, cedar, and a loamy note. Vibrant and youthful, with sleek acidity and deep pitched currant and plum flavors, hints of mint. A polished and medium long finish, with a trace of warmth. Impressive.
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Agree with Silton below - was very thin on opening - got better throughout the day - aromas and flavors strengthened - but think it may be past the peak, so drink em if ya got em!
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need to decant - changed incredibly after 2 hrs. Do not listen to reviews here who have not decanted. At opening, thin and acidic. After 2-3 hrs or so, showing true character and wonderful finish.
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Very good wine. It had pleanty of well intergrated fruit, leather, tabacco notes on the nose with a hint of oak. In the mouth it was full, elegant and percise. Drinking great right now.
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Started off tight and even a bit hot. After 90 minutes in the decanter it opened up nicely. Typical cab aromas including some graphite and light vanilla. Flavors of dark fruits, plum. leather, mocha, maybe a touch of tobacco. Still a good amount of tannic structure here, but my bottle was stored on the cold side for 18 months. Excellent length and grip, full bodied but not overly sweet or extracted. A really nice bottle of cab, I wish I had more, and if I did I would hold it but not past 2011.
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boy, first impressions can be deceiving. Opened and it smelled funky, poured a glass and poured it out because it was thin and tasted, well, clearly past its prime. We opened another bottle of wine (different wine) and at one point in the meal my wife poured more of the Heitz into my glass - and I enjoyed it. Well, tells you how important aeration/decanting can be! And if I didn't know better, I'd swear it was darker in my glass too.
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Had at dinner (SW) with a T-bone, maccaroni and cheese w/truffles. Another stellar Cab from Napa, blackberries and tobacco, tannins still present so can hold for years to come.
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Very soft, heading toward its peak, this was a very good bottle, with soft, ripe tannins, a mouthful of wonderful fruit, and a moderately long finish. Well integrated wood, and the soft feel of a well-aged wine. Well done.
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Nice cherry, berry and tobacco flavors, but very thin and almost astringent. Not a total disappointment, but not a particularly noteworthy bottle either.
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Excellent. This wine is peaking right now. Tannins are almost gone, fruit and wood resin are pleasant, and finish is still long. Might start to decline in next 12 months. Terrific right now.
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After about 2 hrs after decanting the tannins where gone and you are left with a nice heavy concentrated blackberry Napa Cabernet that pleases the palate. A touch of leather and tobacco went well with the heavy steak served at dinner. Need to find more of these bottles.
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This is a wine with a fantastic future! Clearly way too young to be drunk: the wine showed bright fruit, great balance with an exuberant finish. guys were lapping this up quickly! Enjoy 2010-2025.
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Wine House: Green pepper, hints of cognac/alc. smell; subtle rich, dark fruit, Hints of smoke, forest, & licorice; some Rutherford dust. Full body, rich t’s, nice fin., but slightly closed?
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9/12/2021 - leadpencil wrote: 93 Points
Drank from magnum. No decant. Opened 1 hour before drinking. Dark red, medium bodied. Cherry, cassis, lead pencil. Good acidity.
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12/31/2020 - Azcat Likes this wine: 90 Points
Enjoyed two bottles of this wine with our Christmas prime rib dinner. I was sweating it initially because the corks came out much easier than I expected. Both corks showed none of the telltale signs of leakage.
Decanted first bottle and let it sit for 1.5 hrs before drinking. Left the second in bottle to open up. Wine tannins had mellowed over the years but it still smelled and tasted fantastic with the meat. Glad we pulled it when we did.
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is slight sediment in the bottle. It smells like raspberry, oak and blackberry. It tastes like toast and nutmeg. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has medium acidity.
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4/21/2019 - sfbikeguy wrote: 90 Points
After 20 years, I was surprised how this wine held up. I didn’t mean to hold it this long. It’s color was good and had not darkened. I enjoyed the wine. It was balanced and still had fruit. Since I have not had it before, I don’t have a reference for it’s peak.
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11/10/2018 - Winedad53 wrote: 89 Points
Somewhat dull in color, this wine paled next to other Napa Cabs of similar age. Black and red fruit on the nose gave way to roller coaster falloff on mid-palate, and never really recovered before fade to dry oregano, sage and eucalyptus finish. A bit of a disappointment in a wine I had saved since release.
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8/7/2018 - scasbeer Likes this wine: 89 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity. A little past its prime, but still very drinkable with red meat. The wine needed to decant for about 45 minutes, but opened nicely. Dark garnet color. Enjoyed with a standing rib roast.
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8/3/2018 - espesqpa@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Very good wine. High neck fill. Closed upon opening. After 15 min it started to open nicely. Berries and woodsy aroma. Still had plenty of fruit and acidity. Had 20 sec+ finish. If you have it in your cellar, drink it in the near future
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1/20/2018 - cdp1276 wrote: 89 Points
Past it’s prime. Sadly it peaked already and high acidity that isn’t balanced anymore.
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12/25/2017 - bonedocnine Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine is still alive but I feel that there is a loss of vibrancy here. Don't get be wrong tho, at 20 years of age this wine has survived in a beautiful fashion. Drink up with a big piece of red meat. For us it was elk tenderloin. Fruit is slightly faded but minimal tertiary flavors or funk noted.
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11/29/2015 - ACR16719 Likes this wine: 95 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. The body is full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
One of the best wines I have had this season. Loved it!
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11/26/2015 - Jonathan T wrote: 92 Points
I always have a soft spot for Heitz, as the '97 Heitz Trailside was my epiphany wine. This particular bottle was a gift to my dad, who should have drank it by now, but it was sitting in his $99 wine cooler all these years. Opened on thanksgiving. Cellaring was not perfect, but the wine has still held up great. It's definitely entering into its secondary life, and as I expected, it is still silky, subtle and beautiful. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it was perfect at the end of the night, on its own, without food but with great conversation.
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7/19/2015 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nicely aged, integrated cab. Tannins a bit soft, fruit still plentiful with medium length finish. Would say has peaked, but will remain interesting for a while.
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6/7/2015 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
This wine is doing really well, but not improving any more. Red brick, dried red berry fruit, earth and a hint of mustiness that quickly dissipated. Great balance, all there. Long finish. Enjoy now.
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9/18/2014 - Wine_lvr wrote: 92 Points
Heitz, Heitz, Heitz and Heitz: Tasting note to follow
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5/5/2014 - Labrador wrote: 88 Points
Opened my last bottle with with Tommy O and our wives on Pauley's Island. Served with a simple dinner of salad, steak and key lime pie. An initial funkiness on the nose, but it blew off quickly. Red brick color that was beautiful when the glass was held up to the setting sun. Pleasant violet and eucalyptus on the nose and that great dust from the Napa Valley floor. Red fruit (currant and raspberry) with noticeable chewy tannins in the beginning. It really smoothed out after about 15-20 minutes and had a wonderfully expressive finish of 20+ seconds.
Sadly, within 90 minutes, it became a bit austere and thinner on the finish. That said, I wish I had more.
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4/11/2014 - tuccipa wrote: 94 Points
Great drink. Tons of fruit and balanced.
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9/14/2013 - JS1056 wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. Everything is in balance. Tobacco, cedar, currant with a hint of dark fruit.
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6/7/2013 - no leashes wrote: 89 Points
Currant, anise, plum, red fruit flavors, medium bodied, very tasty. Probably a tad beyond peak, but still drinking very nicely.
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12/25/2012 - dase13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red, ruby color. Scents of ripe red fruit and a hint of herbalness. Tasted very smooth with red fruit and well integrated tannins.
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11/2/2012 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 93 Points
American Belle 1st Edition (Switzerland): Tasted blind: Deep ruby red. Nose of black tea infused with red berries. Powerful, elegant wine. Tannins are a bit dry. TAste of Vanilla, coffee, black licorice. Compared to the Martha's 97 in the glass next to it this shows more balance, but is also more mature. Drink now - 2025.
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8/5/2012 - bh4buffs wrote: 90 Points
Well rounded, polished, & ful of fruit... classic Cab overtones. Matched w/ lamb chops nicely.
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12/25/2010 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Much better than last bottle (4 years ago). We enjoyed this bottle following a 1999 d'Issan and this one didn't disappoint. Dark cherry, tobacco a hint of eucalyptus and some earth, light-to-medium bodied, seems to be holding up nicely, but I would drink up soon.
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10/24/2010 - Bottledrainer wrote: 91 Points
Highest rated wine in a blind tasting of 10 California cabernets. Good color, nice balance, lingering finish. Time to drink it up.
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7/7/2010 - Bobo N wrote: 94 Points
I was concerned after seeing some of the recent CT reviews of this wine, but a little funk blew off after the bottle had been open for half hour to reveal the best characteristics Napa cabs can offer -- a beam of black and red currant fruit througout the nose and palate, with chocolate, cedar, tobacco, tanned leather, and hint of eucalyptus. Fruit turned to cherry and more like cherry pie toward the end. This bottle was a gift and has been in my cellar for a decade -- what a reward!
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3/27/2010 - AlexHop wrote: 89 Points
Nice but somewhat faded now. A little spice but the finish is short. Still it's balanced and a pretty nice expression of this wine.
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3/6/2010 - cmonki wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for about an hour cedar currant and maybe fennel good stuff has a few years left but not getting better. Good Juice
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9/5/2009 - bigrednj wrote: 94 Points
Birthday 2008 Favorite Cab tasted to date..
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4/12/2009 - riccodog13 wrote: 92 Points
Refined, middle weight '97 Cali Cab, which still possesses wonderful acidity and freshness. Laser-like red currant carries the wine into more subtle tobacco, spice and mineral. Flavors really linger on the finish. This still has plenty of life left in it. Drink now-2014. 92 pts.
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2/26/2009 - FieldingYost wrote: 91 Points
Plum, cassis, and blackberry on the nose, and also juniper berry, cedar, and a loamy note. Vibrant and youthful, with sleek acidity and deep pitched currant and plum flavors, hints of mint. A polished and medium long finish, with a trace of warmth. Impressive.
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1/31/2009 - GMcAdam wrote: 95 Points
Decanred for 2+ hours and it was awesome. It definitely needs time out of the bottle.
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1/4/2009 - schwartzman wrote: 91 Points
Agree with Silton below - was very thin on opening - got better throughout the day - aromas and flavors strengthened - but think it may be past the peak, so drink em if ya got em!
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12/29/2008 - pepeelvis wrote:
bright cherry cab flavors. Delicious but rather simple. Definitely peaking.
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10/27/2008 - deanda wrote: 94 Points
need to decant - changed incredibly after 2 hrs. Do not listen to reviews here who have not decanted. At opening, thin and acidic. After 2-3 hrs or so, showing true character and wonderful finish.
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10/21/2008 - martuna wrote: 96 Points
WOTN in 97 Cal cab tasting. Spicy cinnamon and ?cardamon on the nose. Beautifully balanced with rich fruit and smooth tannins. Yummy.
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8/17/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
Nano and Claudia's BBQ Blow Out (Manalapan, NJ): I didn't take notes on this, but I liked it well enough.
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10/15/2007 - sgamiz wrote: 93 Points
Very nice and classic cab; excelent balance.
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7/22/2007 - Cosmo wrote:
Very good wine. It had pleanty of well intergrated fruit, leather, tabacco notes on the nose with a hint of oak. In the mouth it was full, elegant and percise. Drinking great right now.
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7/7/2007 - silton wrote: 92 Points
Started off tight and even a bit hot. After 90 minutes in the decanter it opened up nicely. Typical cab aromas including some graphite and light vanilla. Flavors of dark fruits, plum. leather, mocha, maybe a touch of tobacco. Still a good amount of tannic structure here, but my bottle was stored on the cold side for 18 months. Excellent length and grip, full bodied but not overly sweet or extracted. A really nice bottle of cab, I wish I had more, and if I did I would hold it but not past 2011.
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6/11/2007 - EricBe wrote: 89 Points
boy, first impressions can be deceiving. Opened and it smelled funky, poured a glass and poured it out because it was thin and tasted, well, clearly past its prime. We opened another bottle of wine (different wine) and at one point in the meal my wife poured more of the Heitz into my glass - and I enjoyed it. Well, tells you how important aeration/decanting can be! And if I didn't know better, I'd swear it was darker in my glass too.
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3/31/2007 - cortoncharlie wrote: 87 Points
Good classic style wine but not great
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2/11/2007 - Bunski wrote: 92 Points
Had at dinner (SW) with a T-bone, maccaroni and cheese w/truffles. Another stellar Cab from Napa, blackberries and tobacco, tannins still present so can hold for years to come.
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1/13/2007 - signotim wrote: 89 Points
nice berry and plum on the nose. little up front with this wine but a pleasant balance of fruit and tannins thru the finish.
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1/9/2007 - mmyette wrote: 92 Points
Very soft, heading toward its peak, this was a very good bottle, with soft, ripe tannins, a mouthful of wonderful fruit, and a moderately long finish. Well integrated wood, and the soft feel of a well-aged wine. Well done.
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12/31/2006 - no leashes wrote: 86 Points
Nice cherry, berry and tobacco flavors, but very thin and almost astringent. Not a total disappointment, but not a particularly noteworthy bottle either.
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10/11/2006 - ml wrote:
Great time to drink this. Probably the best of the Heitz I've had - better than the '97 Trailside.
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9/24/2006 - blacky wrote: 92 Points
It's good, but it really should be better. I don't think it is as good as many other 97 California cabernets. Just seems to lack personality.
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8/21/2006 - mmyette wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. This wine is peaking right now. Tannins are almost gone, fruit and wood resin are pleasant, and finish is still long. Might start to decline in next 12 months. Terrific right now.
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11/6/2005 - Bunski wrote: 93 Points
After about 2 hrs after decanting the tannins where gone and you are left with a nice heavy concentrated blackberry Napa Cabernet that pleases the palate. A touch of leather and tobacco went well with the heavy steak served at dinner. Need to find more of these bottles.
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4/27/2005 - BradA wrote: 93 Points
This is a wine with a fantastic future! Clearly way too young to be drunk: the wine showed bright fruit, great balance with an exuberant finish. guys were lapping this up quickly! Enjoy 2010-2025.
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2/29/2004 - Siggy wrote: 75 Points
Disappointing. Vanilla and brandy notes on the nose. Lots of glycerin and oak. Fruit faded in the glass. Tart, extremely lemony finish.
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9/26/2002 - buckeye76 wrote: 90 Points
STILL TANNIC, DEEP CURRENT FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH BLACKBERRIES AND A TOUCH OF MINT. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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7/16/2002 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Wine House: Green pepper, hints of cognac/alc. smell; subtle rich, dark fruit, Hints of smoke, forest, & licorice; some Rutherford dust. Full body, rich t’s, nice fin., but slightly closed?
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