September 14, 2024 at Pirouette. — 3 months ago
Girl. Sup? Shoot. This was utterly brilliant tonight. Classic Bordeaux yet, even at 26 years young, somewhat precocious still. A beautiful mix of deep, dark and red fruit with currants, blackberries and cherries with chocolate, purple flowers, green pepper, tobacco, earth, leather and awesomeness. Plenty of structure to keep this strutting for years to come. Fabulous balance and complexity. Drink now through 2047+. — 3 months ago
I had the 2014 Latour a couple of years back. It was from a half bottle and I remember it was rather disappointing. But this wine has really come around. Or maybe it has been developing much better in a full size bottle. Today it’s graceful, with great posture and in perfect balance. A timeless beauty. I had a few 2014 (both left and right bank) lately and I find them very appealing right now. A unsung vintage that turned out pretty good imo. — 23 days ago
Médium ruby, ruby rim . Quite deep and intense on the nose , with smoky cherry , red plum and fresh herbs . On the palate very high acidity and bright herbal tinged red cherry , red plum , strawberry and mineral , saline touches . Gritty quite firm tannins. Very intense, but also elegant and bright , vivid . Long cherry tart , grafite tinged finish . Very promising . Come back in 10 years and see how this ages over the following 10-15 . — a month ago
Medium ruby , with garnet ruby rim . Quite cool spicy cassis , mineral grafite nose . Blackberry , seashell , mineral notes . On the palate good richness with ripe blackberry , cassis and grafite . Lovely ripe , fine tannins and really good freshness . Good grafite , cassis tinged length. Shows a lot of potential , young still , needs time .. come back in 10 years and will last well a further 10 . — a month ago
Quite floral with plummy cassis, creamy blackberry and a touch of pencil lead, crushed rocks . On the palate this has quite good freshness , ripe cassis and blackberry , but with dusty firm tannins . Mineral , seashell hints of on the good length finish . Quite richly fruited but well balanced overall . This needs more time but for 2018 is promising, balanced with good freshness . Come back in 10 -15 years and will show well a further 10 — a month ago
2002 Vintage. Soft. Lacks edges. But actually has come into its own. Drinking beautifully. Pretty. Birthday year and dinner for son. — 5 months ago
I compare the Heitz Napa to the Joseph Phelps Napa in many ways. I believe the Phelps is slightly less vintage dependent than Heitz. But, this 07 like the vintage in Napa, sensational.
This 2007 is peaking. Perfectly ripe & juicy; brambly blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries/kirsch, blueberries come on late and poached strawberries on the edges. The tannins are still dark and tarry. Rich, sweet, dark soils, mid & dark berry cola, anise, steeped black tea, dry tobacco, used leather, cedar/sandalwood, clove, nutmeg, some cinnamon & vanillin, moist, grey volcanic clay, dry crushed rocks, limestone, mid spice, hints of grilled meat, some fresh/dry herds, a tad of eucalyptus, stewy/tumble weed, fresh & withering dark, red, blue florals framed in violets, excellent round acidity, the scope of the finishes encompasses; balance for days, nice structure & tensioned, elegant, polished and lasts two minutes.
Photos all taken around their tasting room on Hwy 29 when their tasting was still the last free tasting in Napa. Still not over the family selling to a corporation that has no wine experience. — 9 months ago
Andrew Cullimore
Medium ruby , wider light ruby rim . Touch more closed and mineral on the nose with, red currant , grafite , cedar . Quite aloof . On the palate this is quite strict , excellent refreshing acidity and very noticeable gritty tannin , more red fruits on the palate , red currant, cherry, cranberry hints alongside the cassis and mineral backbone . Very young , mineral , quite linear and saline . This shows a lot of intensity and salinity after a while in the glass , improves with time in the glass but really needs time in the cellar. Come back in 5 - 10 years , will show well for a further 10 perhaps 20 years. Very classic and aristocratic . — 12 days ago