20 Mature Magnums (mostly Bdx, w/ Unico, Vogue Musigny, Marthas): From magnum. A great Martha’s. At its peak, highly layered, sharp and precise and an almost perfect balance. Could not fully compete with the purity of the 1978 (99pts) the night before but still was one of the best wines of the tasting. Others liked it a bit less but I think it just needed more time and air to reveal its beauty.
TN: At first a bit muted but with time much more open and continuously improving. The nose never fully opened though but on the palate, this began to shine with time: so fresh and with lots of tension but beautifully melted tannins. Impressively layered with dark and red berries, herbs, minty notes, some malty notes, minerality, some coffee and with time more and more tobacco. Highly precise, perfect structure with fine, silky tannins, superb freshness. Medium length but with a beautiful sweet and minty finish accented with some malty notes.
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Magnum Rarities Tasting in Zurich (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): From Magnum: Signature notes of green bell pepper, menthol and eucalyptus. Rather restrained fruit. Hardy any tertiary aromas. Nicely structured with a soft and velvety texture and cool mineral notes. This was in good shape and highly enjoyable, but I felt the ’74 from the day before (from 75cl bottle) was more complex and accessible.
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Annual Richter All-Magnum Extravaganza: As usual a bit hazy starting out, it improved quite a bit with air but never really shook it off fully. But still a great wine. Rosehips, eucalyptus, honey, medicinal. Rather light for a Martha (still substantial of course) with a good length
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Took about 30 minutes to fully come together, but this was really great! Dark, ripe and opulent fruit with beautiful aromatics, just a great example of aged Martha’s Vineyard.
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Piemonte: Back to the truffling!; 11/24/2022-12/3/2022 (Wineries and various restaurants): Had not really thought as much when we were figuring out wines to bring how the food might impact and so I would say this is not really aligned with what we were eating and that probably somewhat impacted the experience. Still, this was drinking nicely. It’s good that almost herbal style that old Marthas does. Drinks almost a bit young in terms of freshness but has the benefits of age. Very tasty. Not a wine we get to try very often this old but the 70’s of these are very special.
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15 Mature Bordeauxs Magnums (with Heitz MV in the mix): Mini vertical of Heitz MV 1975/1976/1978. All from magnum. The 1975 (94 pts) and the 1976 (95 pts) showed very well with the classic mint-monster aroma profile and the otherwise classic, fresh, almost airy shape. Both wines didn’t show enough complexity to reach a higher score today. The 1978 (84 pts) was well past its prime but that is certainly a problem of this particular bottle than of the vintage in general. Usually, these old Heitz MVs are consistently great wines. A bit predictable and from time to time a bit one-noted? Maybe, but so much fun to drink.
TN: At first a bit muted and only on a 92 pts level, the wine got better by the minute, opening up, gaining intensity and precision. But never reached the expressiveness of the 1975 in the next glass. This still gets a higher rating as it has more stuffing. More layers of fruit, lots of mint notes, earth and a pronounced minerality as well as some spices on the nose and palate and a menthol finish. Very fine structure with molten tannins, a high but well-integrated acidity, a creamy texture and overall a Bordeaux feel. Superb balance and a lot of fun to drink, this could certainly have gained one or two points if we would have time to follow for one or the other hour.
Decanting: Not decanted, needed a bit of air. My guess: This magnum could have used 2 hours in the decanter.
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Magnum rarities tasting; 7/2/2021-7/3/2021 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Magnum rarities tasting hosted by a merchant and collector. The headline line-up of the main event featured 18 aged red wines from magnum which was preceded by warm-up tasting of a dozen aged reds. The highlights across both days were Chris Ringland 1998 (99), Montrose 1990 and Yquem 1948 (both 98). Also strong were Palmer 1989 (97), Cheval Blanc 1985 (97) and Léoville Poyferré 1990 (96). None of the wines were decanted prior to serving.
Tasting note: Tasted blind from magnum. Fur, leather, red and blue berry fruit, sweet notes of ginger bread, cinnamon. There was convincing finesse even if not overly expressive. Developing more eucalyptus angles over time. Palate shows a lot of red berry fruit, a notable absence of aging notes, freshness and tension, but not quite the density I was expecting. This was part of a mini-vertical served blind including 1975, 1976 and 1978. Unfortunately none were spectacular, 1975 and 1976 were good and the 1978 was already dead (I did have a good bottle a year ago, however). Throwing in the 1991 and 1987 from a week ago (both regular bottles) the 1987 comes out on top.
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Similar defining nose of lead, tobacco, and dark cherry, but with more depth and richness. Also got strong notes of peppery spices. Like the 79, it's remarkably balanced. Much more brooding.
Excellent wine that isn't going downhill anytime soon.
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The best wine on the thanksgiving table this year, a little musty at first but after a bit of slo-ox it blew off to leave a wonderfully expressive mature nose of eucalyptus, blackberries and blackcurrants. Similarly generous on the palate, with little sign of age and plenty of sweet fruit with some tobacco notes and a touch of mint. It finishes long and is in a perfect spot for current drinking. As good a red as I've had all year.
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Perfectly aged California cab. Still darker purple. If tasted blind I would have guessed early 90s. Classic Heitz eucalyptus notes. Dark berries, tobacco, cedar, plums with perfect balance and still some power with lots of finesse. Drank well over 2-3 hours. A unique and fun wine.
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Heitz Martha's vertical 74-77 with an absolutely CURSED line up of chardonnay. (Major Domo): 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.
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Great example of classic California Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine offers the perfect blend of rusticity and firm, elegant charm, tobacco, mint and black cherry perfume, and an earthy, sweet and slightly tart, cassis finish. There is no reason to wait on this any longer, as previous bottles offered more fruit and freshness.
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Excellent fill & solid cork. Dark ruby red in color with slight bricking & clearing at the edges. Full, forward, attractive nose of complex,ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, plums & cassis with lovely overtones of eucalyptus/mint & cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco, some floral notes, earthy, dusty, forest floor, coffee, leather, herbs, some spices & minerals. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, complex & mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums earthiness, minty, dried herbs, coffee, spices and minerals. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & although it is at its peak if development, it should hold for a few more years although any further development is not likely.
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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 9/15/2012 (San Diego): An amazing end-of-the-night surprise from our host SD-Wineaux. Pristine condition with fill into the neck. Decanted and served. Clear medium blood-ruby color. Stately bouquet of tobacco, red currants, mint and eucalyptus. Bouquet bloomed over 45 minutes, with red fruit taking center stage. Rich and regal on the palate, substantial yet light on its feet as they say. My #3 tonight, group's SECOND PLACE.
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Brought to dinner at The Dutch. Bottom neck fill, still a surprisingly robust dark ruby red color, subtle nose of blue and black berries but with only a slight hint of the menthol/eucalyptus that I'd been expecting. Similarly a bit muted on the palate, soft and round but just a tad reserved with a sharp accent coming through on the finish. Lovely nonetheless, with the novelty for me of drinking a Cali wine of this age giving it a few more bonus marks, and ultimately very satisfying.
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This wine was in spectacular shape. The nose immediately filled the glass when poured with scents of flower, meaty leather and asian spices... after dipping our faces into the glass everyone just looked up and nodded in agreement that we would be in for an enjoyable ride. The hallmark on the palate was the lifting flavors of eucalyptus that really freshen the other accompanying flavors of rich dark fruit and sweet fine grained tannins. The finish just went on and on and on with an incredible amount of bright acidity. Later on in the evening the backend started to develop a slight caramel note as the fruit dissipated so might be time to drink up in the next few years for optimal drinking. Easily one of the best aged cali cabs I've had.
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Combining mint with cassis, blackberry, earth, forest and tobacco made a compelling perfume. In the mouth, this mature, soft, plush wine covered your palate with fresh fruit. The roasted fruit sensations linger in your mouth.
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5/21/2023 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
20 Mature Magnums (mostly Bdx, w/ Unico, Vogue Musigny, Marthas): From magnum. A great Martha’s. At its peak, highly layered, sharp and precise and an almost perfect balance. Could not fully compete with the purity of the 1978 (99pts) the night before but still was one of the best wines of the tasting. Others liked it a bit less but I think it just needed more time and air to reveal its beauty.
TN: At first a bit muted but with time much more open and continuously improving. The nose never fully opened though but on the palate, this began to shine with time: so fresh and with lots of tension but beautifully melted tannins. Impressively layered with dark and red berries, herbs, minty notes, some malty notes, minerality, some coffee and with time more and more tobacco. Highly precise, perfect structure with fine, silky tannins, superb freshness. Medium length but with a beautiful sweet and minty finish accented with some malty notes.
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5/6/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Magnum Rarities Tasting in Zurich (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): From Magnum: Signature notes of green bell pepper, menthol and eucalyptus. Rather restrained fruit. Hardy any tertiary aromas. Nicely structured with a soft and velvety texture and cool mineral notes. This was in good shape and highly enjoyable, but I felt the ’74 from the day before (from 75cl bottle) was more complex and accessible.
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5/6/2023 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Annual Richter All-Magnum Extravaganza: As usual a bit hazy starting out, it improved quite a bit with air but never really shook it off fully. But still a great wine. Rosehips, eucalyptus, honey, medicinal. Rather light for a Martha (still substantial of course) with a good length
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4/24/2023 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 96 Points
Took about 30 minutes to fully come together, but this was really great! Dark, ripe and opulent fruit with beautiful aromatics, just a great example of aged Martha’s Vineyard.
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11/30/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Piemonte: Back to the truffling!; 11/24/2022-12/3/2022 (Wineries and various restaurants): Had not really thought as much when we were figuring out wines to bring how the food might impact and so I would say this is not really aligned with what we were eating and that probably somewhat impacted the experience. Still, this was drinking nicely. It’s good that almost herbal style that old Marthas does. Drinks almost a bit young in terms of freshness but has the benefits of age. Very tasty. Not a wine we get to try very often this old but the 70’s of these are very special.
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9/19/2021 - Vineyard Boy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needs 30 minutes of air to fully develop, should last another 5-20 years no problem
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7/19/2021 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
15 Mature Bordeauxs Magnums (with Heitz MV in the mix): Mini vertical of Heitz MV 1975/1976/1978. All from magnum. The 1975 (94 pts) and the 1976 (95 pts) showed very well with the classic mint-monster aroma profile and the otherwise classic, fresh, almost airy shape. Both wines didn’t show enough complexity to reach a higher score today. The 1978 (84 pts) was well past its prime but that is certainly a problem of this particular bottle than of the vintage in general. Usually, these old Heitz MVs are consistently great wines. A bit predictable and from time to time a bit one-noted? Maybe, but so much fun to drink.
TN: At first a bit muted and only on a 92 pts level, the wine got better by the minute, opening up, gaining intensity and precision. But never reached the expressiveness of the 1975 in the next glass. This still gets a higher rating as it has more stuffing. More layers of fruit, lots of mint notes, earth and a pronounced minerality as well as some spices on the nose and palate and a menthol finish. Very fine structure with molten tannins, a high but well-integrated acidity, a creamy texture and overall a Bordeaux feel. Superb balance and a lot of fun to drink, this could certainly have gained one or two points if we would have time to follow for one or the other hour.
Decanting: Not decanted, needed a bit of air. My guess: This magnum could have used 2 hours in the decanter.
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7/3/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Magnum rarities tasting; 7/2/2021-7/3/2021 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Magnum rarities tasting hosted by a merchant and collector. The headline line-up of the main event featured 18 aged red wines from magnum which was preceded by warm-up tasting of a dozen aged reds. The highlights across both days were Chris Ringland 1998 (99), Montrose 1990 and Yquem 1948 (both 98). Also strong were Palmer 1989 (97), Cheval Blanc 1985 (97) and Léoville Poyferré 1990 (96). None of the wines were decanted prior to serving.
Tasting note:
Tasted blind from magnum. Fur, leather, red and blue berry fruit, sweet notes of ginger bread, cinnamon. There was convincing finesse even if not overly expressive. Developing more eucalyptus angles over time. Palate shows a lot of red berry fruit, a notable absence of aging notes, freshness and tension, but not quite the density I was expecting. This was part of a mini-vertical served blind including 1975, 1976 and 1978. Unfortunately none were spectacular, 1975 and 1976 were good and the 1978 was already dead (I did have a good bottle a year ago, however). Throwing in the 1991 and 1987 from a week ago (both regular bottles) the 1987 comes out on top.
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7/3/2021 - G_H wrote: 97 Points
Annual Richter Extravaganza (All bottles out of magnums): Right off the bat fantastic! Ethereal, eucalyptus, cassis, moroccan tea, fresh, dense and incredibly long. I love this stuff!
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1/25/2020 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank next to a 1979 Heitz Martha's Vineyard.
Similar defining nose of lead, tobacco, and dark cherry, but with more depth and richness. Also got strong notes of peppery spices. Like the 79, it's remarkably balanced. Much more brooding.
Excellent wine that isn't going downhill anytime soon.
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11/22/2018 - PJRONeill wrote: 95 Points
The best wine on the thanksgiving table this year, a little musty at first but after a bit of slo-ox it blew off to leave a wonderfully expressive mature nose of eucalyptus, blackberries and blackcurrants. Similarly generous on the palate, with little sign of age and plenty of sweet fruit with some tobacco notes and a touch of mint. It finishes long and is in a perfect spot for current drinking. As good a red as I've had all year.
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8/24/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfectly aged California cab. Still darker purple. If tasted blind I would have guessed early 90s. Classic Heitz eucalyptus notes. Dark berries, tobacco, cedar, plums with perfect balance and still some power with lots of finesse. Drank well over 2-3 hours. A unique and fun wine.
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3/28/2018 - clayfu wrote:
Heitz Martha's vertical 74-77 with an absolutely CURSED line up of chardonnay. (Major Domo): 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.
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8/11/2017 - AV2012 wrote: 92 Points
Feels young and mighty! Some young oak, soft vanilla with a touch of raspberries. Excellently made.
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9/11/2016 - donjulio wrote: 94 Points
Classic aged Napa cab, beautiful wine. Held up much better than expected.
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5/5/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Great example of classic California Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine offers the perfect blend of rusticity and firm, elegant charm, tobacco, mint and black cherry perfume, and an earthy, sweet and slightly tart, cassis finish. There is no reason to wait on this any longer, as previous bottles offered more fruit and freshness.
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4/19/2016 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent fill & solid cork. Dark ruby red in color with slight bricking & clearing at the edges. Full, forward, attractive nose of complex,ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, plums & cassis with lovely overtones of eucalyptus/mint & cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco, some floral notes, earthy, dusty, forest floor, coffee, leather, herbs, some spices & minerals. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, complex & mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums earthiness, minty, dried herbs, coffee, spices and minerals. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & although it is at its peak if development, it should hold for a few more years although any further development is not likely.
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11/18/2015 - MRichman wrote:
Dinner in NYC (Gander): Showing just a little age. Menthol, herbal. A bit of coffee on finish.
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7/18/2015 - Bruce 1er Likes this wine: 99 Points
Big bouquet, rich fruit: berries, plums, stone fruits. Balanced. Delicious. Soft finish. A beautiful wie.
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9/18/2014 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Heitz, Heitz, Heitz and Heitz: Tasting note to follow
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9/15/2012 - Javachip wrote: 95 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 9/15/2012 (San Diego): An amazing end-of-the-night surprise from our host SD-Wineaux. Pristine condition with fill into the neck. Decanted and served. Clear medium blood-ruby color. Stately bouquet of tobacco, red currants, mint and eucalyptus. Bouquet bloomed over 45 minutes, with red fruit taking center stage. Rich and regal on the palate, substantial yet light on its feet as they say. My #3 tonight, group's SECOND PLACE.
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9/9/2012 - Le Musigny wrote:
Great example of what Cali wines should be. Perfectly stored bottle, great structure and fruit. Showed like a classic bordeaux.
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7/20/2011 - PJRONeill wrote: 92 Points
Brought to dinner at The Dutch. Bottom neck fill, still a surprisingly robust dark ruby red color, subtle nose of blue and black berries but with only a slight hint of the menthol/eucalyptus that I'd been expecting. Similarly a bit muted on the palate, soft and round but just a tad reserved with a sharp accent coming through on the finish. Lovely nonetheless, with the novelty for me of drinking a Cali wine of this age giving it a few more bonus marks, and ultimately very satisfying.
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4/18/2010 - clayfu wrote:
This wine was in spectacular shape. The nose immediately filled the glass when poured with scents of flower, meaty leather and asian spices... after dipping our faces into the glass everyone just looked up and nodded in agreement that we would be in for an enjoyable ride. The hallmark on the palate was the lifting flavors of eucalyptus that really freshen the other accompanying flavors of rich dark fruit and sweet fine grained tannins. The finish just went on and on and on with an incredible amount of bright acidity. Later on in the evening the backend started to develop a slight caramel note as the fruit dissipated so might be time to drink up in the next few years for optimal drinking. Easily one of the best aged cali cabs I've had.
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1/2/2010 - ScubaSommelier wrote:
This can no longer stand up. Hints of brandy.
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11/1/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Combining mint with cassis, blackberry, earth, forest and tobacco made a compelling perfume. In the mouth, this mature, soft, plush wine covered your palate with fresh fruit. The roasted fruit sensations linger in your mouth.
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5/12/2009 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Heitz Martha's Vineyard vertical 1970 to 1999 (IOD, London): From magnum: going a bit brown, attractive rose petal fragrance in addition to the usual blackcurrants, the most poised so far, smooth, rich, fresh, very lovely
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