WTHW…what the hell wednesday……buddy Edson and I(God joined us when we opened the 74) had a nice little dinner tonight with some legendary wines……food…AMAZING as always……foie gras and bacon fat popcorn was TOO DIE FOR with the 68! The Chef and server were as thrilled with the wines as we were……a perfect night!
1968 Heitz Cellar Chardonnay Pinot Chardonnay LOT Z-82- USA, California, Napa Valley (2/24/2016)
Acquired from Barney Rhodes(planted Martha’s Vineyard, owner Bella Oaks V) cellar……maybe Hanzell fruit?..…decided to go with a PnP…and this was SPECTACULAR all night! UN believable how youthful this wine was……as soon as I smelled the cork, I knew we were in for a treat! Montrachet meets Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc……brilliant gold, green color…RICH buttered pears/apples, grilled pineapple….fresh and alive with lemon curd, crushed minerals….perfect oak integration……complexities of lantern oil, antique wax, hot buttered rum spice, cold green tea. NO WAY this is 48yrs old! Amazing freshness, sweetness…yet perfect balance of salinity and unique aged complexities……and it didn’t waver all night! Thought it might die out…but it kept on going….just an amazing experience! (99 pts.)
1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard- USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (2/24/2016)
The legend! A bucket for me……PnP…drank over 4hrs….Holy Sh@$@@$!...I can’t believe how dark and youthful this wine is!!! The cork smelled SO good…I knew God had joined us…….Dark saturated berries…currants, blackberries, cherries…dried and savory……unbelievable nose and mouthful of dried herbs…bay leaf, euc, mint….cigar wrapper, creme de cassis, pencil lead……aged nuttiness, 100year old oozing balsamic barrels……SO silky smooth, layer after layer of the perfect aged cab flavors….thought maybe after hour 2 it was starting to fall apart…but then it sprang back to life in amazing fashion……we had a great bottle, and a life altering experience! (98 pts.)
2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru (2/24/2016)
Usually the focus on any table…but tonight this took a back seat to two amazing Heitz Cellars wines…74 Martha’s and 68 Chardonnay……the GE is another example of how well the 2000’s are drinking right now……wonderful fruit and pretty spices……somewhat lighter bodied…crisp and crunchy red berry fruits….silky smooth and showing wonderful Asian spice, perfumed potpourri, smoked woods, cranberry skin acidity….starting to show a little aged forest and some olive as well….but still very vibrant. Tasty with all the food courses…all night! So good! (95 pts.)
Awesome wines and notes! Those Cali wines from the 60’s and 70’s can be magic in a bottle.
I went through 6 bottles of the '74 Mondavi regular Napa Cab in the last 2 years. Four of them were good but 2 bottles were just amazing.
We really missed you on this one Doc! Do you know if this was fruit from Hanzell? I know that Heitz acquired barrels of Hanzell Chard back in the early 60’s….not sure if they kept sourcing the fruit, and if so, until when?
wow, what an unbelievable experience. if there is such thing as a perfect wine, the 68 came close imo. remarkably ‘fresh’ and youthful that can go another decade probably. Stunning.
the 74 martha’s was a treat, it definitely lived up to expectations. this was my first older ca wine that didn’t fall apart on me after 30 minutes. the bottle peaked after 3 hours, but even towards the end of the night it was still showboating.
the drc ge is gorgeous. the 00s are just amazing right now… usually a highlight on the table but it was overshadowed by the heitz.
thanks again to chef michael, jb, and the rest of the staff who did a fantastic job with the food and service. galletos in modesto is on point, but you have to tell them you know buzz
Wow! I had my very first experience with Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet last Friday … It was a 1998 and was beyond gorgeous – the eucalyptus and mint were mind blowing. Such a beautiful wine! Of the 12 wines (chosen by 12 master somms for wine pairings with 4 courses that evening – it was the WOTN by far!!)
So cool to see the older vintage (and my birth year, no less!) doing amazingly well!