1977 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks

Community Tasting Notes (16) Avg Score: 91.3 points

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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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View all 16 Community Tasting Notes

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