It’s been a decent wine weekend for me. Went to Philly to see a friend and have band practice. Stopped at a PLCB store to check it out and found 1998 Heitz Bella Oaks for $30 a bottle. Why not?
1998 Heitz Bella Oaks Vineyard - Still good color, barely browning. Tobacco, cherry, leather, oak, and caramel on the nose. Pretty good. Medium bodied with cranberry notes and nice acid on the finish. Drinking well, probably at/slightly past peak. No need to age it longer, but will hold for a while. Worth $30 for the experience, but not a whole lot more.
Went to my boss’s house last night to kill a few bottles.
1983 Inglenook Reserve Cask Cabernet - Oak, black cherry, smoke, and leather on the nose. Not bad. On the palate is some cassis, but it is starting to dry out. Fading, but held up pretty well for an hour. We didn’t finish the bottle though.
1998 Beauregard Pomerol - Smoke, violets, plums, some oak. Very pretty nose that deepened with air. Good weight and elegant on the palate. Dark fruits and a touch of blueberry. Minerals on the finish was a nice touch. Very tasty bottle and drinking well with an hour of air. Will hold for maybe 5-10 years, but probably won’t improve. I have one more that I will open in maybe 2 years.
1998 Tignanello - Tobacco, earth, cherry on the nose. Extremely silky texture with some tannin yet to resolve but a nice finish. This was not the most complex or powerful wine, but delicious and in a good spot right now. Might improve a little.