2012 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (102) Avg Score: 90.0 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View WyattTheSomm's profile
  • Report Issue

  2/1/2024 - WyattTheSomm Likes this wine: 91 Points

  I very much agree with “Somm David T” notes below…. I’m glad I have older Bottles as the family sold out and I worry about the quality in newer vintages. (I feel like we lost a part of history)
  
  Sight: No sediment in the bottle, beautiful medium ruby color, light staining on the glass.
  
  Nose: I love this style and right away the bouquet in the glass tells you what to expect! I saw someone say Barolo like and I can’t say I disagree with that because the dried cherry note is so pure just lush darker cherries and it’s heavenly. It’s floral I find some leather notes and peppercorns black and green. You can smell where this was grown and this has complex aromas of darker/red fruits and secondary notes that keep me coming back for another sniff!
  
  Palate: I drank with people who had never had Heitz before and they where like… this is Cab!? The palate is not this big and extracted wine like what you would normally expect from Napa; I told them it’s pure, with length and depth. This wine makes up for all the boldness with finesse it’s remarkably smooth (@14.5%) just almost Merlot like how it rolls across the palate but still has a great body just no excessive grape/barrel tannin pulling on the sides of your mouth. The dark cherries, plums, spices, and secondary notes are concentrated and make for a wonderful wine in its development. Some wines can smell or taste old and this wine is so fresh and so alive.
  
  Overall: I’m gonna miss these older Heitz, feeling like I’m drinking history now…. Sometimes you don’t want the bold extracted Cab and you just want something that shows you what Cabernet really is without the make-up. That is what Heitz has always been to me and is gonna give you unapologetic natural Cabernet and it’s refreshing in a sea of fruit/oak bombs every time I open a bottle. Cheers!

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View jlhkiss's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/12/2023 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Consistent with notes from almost two year ago: elegant, precise, and smooth. This is a medium-bodied wine with fine-grained tannins but still strong acidity, so it gained fat and body with air (3+ hours in the decanter). Paired nicely with NY Strips. Drink 2023-2027. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 92.

  3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • View Somm David T's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/9/2023 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 92 Points

  2012 was a good vintage but was never going to age as many thought. That is not to say this 2012 is not in perfect form now. Still not happy the family cashed out and sold this Napa pioneer winery to a corporation that had no previous wine experience. As well, eliminated the last free tasting in Napa, which included their Maratha’s Vineyard. These corporations pay a top price for these grand wineries and then squeeze it. That’s just what corporations do. So disappointing!
  
  The 12 is smooth as silk. Nothing that bites back. Fresh, ripe; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries. Mid, Indian spice, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, crushed rocks, dry twig, mid cola, brilliant, fresh, red & dark, violet florals, amazing acidy, well structured & balanced, easy tension with two minute ruby polished wire to wire finish.

  2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Big Ted Red's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/21/2023 - Big Ted Red Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Surprisingly laid back for 2012 Napa. Super smooth but oak buries the fruit. Didn’t get the pyrazines usually present in this cuvée.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View aaronwine's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/25/2022 - aaronwine Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Still in its youth. A little tight. Enjoyable but not noteworthy.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 102 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.