1977 Heitz Bella Oaks Vineyard & 2014 D&R Evangelho Mourvèdre

On Sat. two friends and I got together for our annual “summit”.

There was a great lineup of wines from old Heitz, old Phelps, Allemand, Ganevat, Ochota Barrels, D&R, old Jade Mountain, and old Frog’s Leap.

Amidst a table of awesome wines two stood out.

1977 Heitz Bella Oaks. Truly moving.
Beautiful color with no bricking. Glorious on the nose with lifted red fruit, florals, and touch of Amazonian ceremonial snuff. This wine is drum rolls on the table “ON”!

The palate is incredible sweet red fruit. It is deep and weightless with fully integrated tannin and a finish that goes as far as you let it (eventually you get hungry or thirsty and need another sip or bite).

The other unanimous standout was the 2014 D&R Evangelho Mourvèdre. It was my first vintage working with Evangelho fruit and I have not popped a '14 in several years.

2014 D&R Evangelho Mourvèdre
Pop and pour and whoosh. Straight through the portal doors that can only be Evangelho. Tension and old vine sap, light plus tannins and a bright, fruit driven finish nearly the length of Heitz. This wine is not “ready” but it is delivering so much pleasure that “ready” seems almost irrelevant.

Though there was plenty of magnificence on the table, even being so radically different in age, site, varieties, etc. the Heitz and Evangelho shared a similar and important trait- joy.

PS- A huge thumbs up to the 1997 Frog’s Leap Leapfrogmilch - that was an awesome blend of old vine St. Helena Chenin and Rutherford Riesling. We all kept going back to it.

I remember fondly that 77 Bella from my early wine days in mid to late 80s. It was delicious. Great to see it even better 30 something years later.

Great Drinking= Great notes. I love those old price tags from, Liquor Barn? $31.35. How random is that?

Thanks for the tasting notes, Hardy!

What a marvelous, whimsical line-up - “Leapfrogmilch”, for all love!!!*


Red wines from Contra Costa County, in many cases, can endure much longer than generally thought.

Also, Mourvèdre’s natural resistance to oxidation - along with whole cluster fermentation’s reductive effects - ought to embue Dirty & Rowdy reds with long lives.

• Was that a Jade Mountain “Evangelho Vyd” Mourvèdre?

**Thanks Drew.

Yes. It was a 2001 Jade Mountain Evangelho Mourvèdre. It did not show well- It was sealed with an old school non-technical plastic cork and was oxidized. The body, tension, acid was all there- just none of the nose or flavors. It was a serious bummer - I thought it was going to shine.**

Nice note on the Bella Oaks!! I’ve had it a couple times, most recently for my 42nd birthday (I’m a 77 baby). It’s really a lovely wine… my note:

“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. 94”