Heitz Cellars 97

[becky]

hello...

A couple weeks ago some coworkers and I had an impromptu tasting. The quality of the wine we opened was great- I felt spoiled and a little overwhelmed considering my relative newfound interest in wine. We tasted through 10+ bottles: 2001 Altamura cab, 2001 Constant cab, 1997 Heitz Cellars cab , 2000 Regusi cab, 2004 Stella's Garden Shiraz, 2003 Nepenthe Zin, 1994 Charles Krug cab, among others. The Heizt cellars was gone first, not surprisingly. It was at its peak- drinkable, tasty, but also bold and tannic. In the nose I caught dark fruits. I remember thinking that it tasted almost velvety or silky. It had a medium-long finish, which was helped along by its tannins. I think it was the overall winner of the night. I also enjoyed the 01 Altamura. Some people thought it was lacking in acidity. If so, that was its only downfall.

Any thoughts?

[winoweenie]

Hi Becky and welcome to the board. I'm guessing the Heitz you tasted was the Napa bottling, right? If you read my comments on the 02 Napa below from the Enjineer you'll have the answer. You also enjoyed a wine from, IMHO, the best vintage in modern Napa history. Keep on keepin'-on. WW

[brappy]

Yes, the Heitz was the Napa bottling. Also, the Krug was the Generations not the regular cab. That one got mixed reviews but I still loved it. Wasn't near as heavy on the midpalate as some others that evening and I believe it suffered because of it.

About the Altimura; I believe Becky is referring to me talking about the acid levels. The fruit in this wine is absolutely beautiful. But, IMHO, the wine lacked the acid to be completely balanced. It was still a great drink. When the "acid" topic came up, we were discussing the ageing potential of this wine. It's great now, but in 5 years? Just a guess....

A couple of wines left out: Regusci zinfandel. Another great wine. Also a Sauv Blanc from Leeuwin Estates out of Western Australia. That was emptied pretty quickly. There was one more white, but I've forgotten what that was.

Like Becky said, All of the wines were great and even better because everything was shared with friends.

mark

[wondersofwine]

I have a Stella's Garden Shiraz in my lineup--to open after I finish a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (and possibly a 1999 Opitz Carneros Pinot Noir). What did you think of this Sparky and Sarah Marquis wine?

[brappy]

Very well made. They make this like every other wine they make. ie: big, bold, in your face, all complete with great "I can't get enouph" taste.

On a side note, the '03 was better which is not what I would have thought given '04 is the better over-all vintage.

Hope you enjoy it.

mark

[wondersofwine]

Wouldn't you know. I checked and mine is the '04. I 'll report back in the next couple weeks.