Heitz Cellar, Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Roasted blackcurrant and fig. Baked fruit with good acid. I suppose a little long in the tooth.

1981 vintage

Mostly faded away sadly,

1981 vintage

Nose: Offers a perfume that jumps from the glass with mature notes of cherry, cassis, wood, orange peel, spice and baked cranberry. Gentle and elegant on this is a classically mature wine from Heitz with just a kiss of herbal notes. Palate: Exceptional feel. This is well resolved with soft tannin, excellent acidity and just enough plum, black cherry, and fleshy red berry fruit to convey its youth. But the palate is studded with cedar, spice, mint, bell pepper and …

1995 vintage

Exceptional Bottle, wish i had some more!!!

1999 vintage

Light-medium bodied red. Light nose . Notes of strawberry in the mouth. Light tannins.

1999 vintage

Dark fruit flavors, some herbs, good acidity. Surprisingly 2nd day holding up well.

2006 vintage

Beautifully aged Cab, with dark fruit, earth and graphite. I bought bottle upon release and it's been stored under ideal conditions ever since. Smooth and elegant.

1995 vintage

I thought this would be over the hill hence why I�ve postponed opening it but alas it was time. This was spot on. Still youthful upon immediate first taste. I poured a big first glass and let it sit for a couple hours. Just lovely, cassis, some pencil lead, fine, rustic. My last of 3 bottles purchased forever ago from wine rep Queenie.

1999 vintage

Absolutely pristine from the bottle to the cork! Someone took great care of this wine and it shows! Beautiful dark ruby color with just a hint of bricking, and a lovely nose of spicy red fruits. On the palate this is very soft and completley integrated with cranberries, baking spice, and a hint of tobacco. Plenty of acidity which has kept the wine really fresh and youthful. All the elements are playing well together, but this is definitely a 'drink …

1980 vintage

Dark fruit and intense graphite and hints of eucalyptus tannins are perfectly resolved, dried blackberry and garrigue, very good, drink up! No life left in smaller formats. Drink with steak

1995 vintage

Drank from magnum, still incredible complexity!

1999 vintage

Phenomenal

1995 vintage

After a 4 hour decant - Beautiful wine with deep red garnet color. The nose is expressive with notes of chocolate, coffee bean, and dark red fruits and hint of vanilla. The mouth feel is soft with some tannins. The taste is rich and ripe with favors of coffee, bitter chocolate, dark raspberry, cherry and hint of eucalyptus. A nice lasting finish. This wine can still go another 7-10 years. Score 93 points

1999 vintage

I would not have called this as 22 years old. Doesn�t have that mint you expect from Heitz but this is a different vineyard next to Staglin and has more similarities.

1999 vintage

Fantastic, still tastes fresh and ready to go another five years - at 45 years old!

1976 vintage

Deep ruby color. Incredibly expressive nose of camphor, violets, cassis, earth, and smoke. The palate was a bit simple and direct, offering sweet fruit and fully resolved tannin; this started to oxidize (think prunes) after about an hour open with no decant. Well past peak but still a fascinating bottle to taste. From Joseph Phelps' personal collection.

1980 vintage

Corked crumbled, with half falling into the bottle. As close to vinegar as I've found in a bottle of wine.

1999 vintage

One of our last Heitz Bella Oaks bottling’s. Heitz no longer leases the vineyard. The fruit from the Bella Oaks Vineyard is now bottled by Quintessa at $200 a bottle when Heitz sold it at around $70 or less when they leased the terroir. The better pair with the end cut of the Prime Rib with creamy, horse radish. Floral, candied, spice driven fruit of; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums with tough skins, plums, dark cherries and deep, …

2006 vintage

What an enjoyable wine, very integrated with dark fruits and licorice and a smooth finish. This bottle was recorked years ago. This is my last bottle and I believe was the best one and needed all 22 years to come around.

1998 vintage

Understated elegance. A grande Napa damme. Leather and tobacco with a hint of spice. Only thing it was lacking was finish.

2006 vintage

Needs 5-10 minutes of air to get rid of some cellar notes, but then it�s a really nice wine. Mature, yes. But still a joy to drink. Faint eucalyptus notes, nice acidity, surprisingly still some fruit left, medium body. I would drink it in the next 5 years though

1980 vintage

Drinking beautifully. Fairly closed nose on opening, with some fruit coming through. Decanted for an hour. Really well balanced on the palate, with strong presence of dark fruit and wood. Good long finish. This wine in right in its prime.

1995 vintage

Napa with friends; 8/15/2019-8/18/2019 (Napa, CA) : Wow - this was the WOTN by a far margin. Drinking just beautifully. Mature and complex with layers of flavor, red/black fruit, dried leaves, tobacco, earth - and a scattering of dusty tannin on the super long finish. Seems like it will hold this way for quite a while too - kept coming back to this such a lovely rendition of Napa Valley wine.

1995 vintage

Drank from a magnum. Decanted, but was ready to drink within minutes. I notice that is is several years past CellarTracker's listed drinking window, but it is drinking just fine. Heitz always made very age-worthy wines.

1995 vintage

Bottle variation. This one showed perfectly, menthol, ripe fruit and some solid weight.

1999 vintage

Fruit is still dominant, but acidity is sticking out. Not quite as good as the 1996 we had in December, but still quite good with our NY Strips.

1995 vintage

Tunaguy has it exactly right. This bottle was surprisingly delicious, with rich complex flavors and just enough acidity. Long finish. Drinking beautifully.

1998 vintage

really great stuff. layered, complex nose of tobacco, cedar, bell pepper, black and blue fruit, menthol, smoke, flint, and spices. palate had red fruits, tobacco, spices. just enough acidity to wash it all down. 45+ second finish. No reason to hold any longer. It's ready to go now

1998 vintage

From magnum; this felt a bit more awkward than the last one I had. Has an overly savory and sandy profile, a bit muted. Not much acidity. Pleasant enough but was hoping for more. Holds up pretty well on the 2nd day; if anything there was more intensity.

1995 vintage

Beautiful bottle of wine. Cork was soaked through but remained solid and came out easily. Fruit has somewhat disappeared here but body remains. Gorgeous nose. It is very enjoyable now, but definitely on the decline. Drink up.

1981 vintage

From magnum, bought from the winery. This drank great for Thanksgiving dinner. You would never guess it was 22 years old. Has some of the Heitz house style - nothing fat or plush, this is more exacting and precise, more bright acidity than most napa cabs. Lovely depth, everything is quite resolved and nothing is faded. Has an aloof, intellectual personality but very attractive. At no point did I fear this was over the hill or remotely approaching the hill. …

1995 vintage

The heitz was nice. Clearly a 40 yr old wine and a little tart for my taste. Lots of cherry and some faint eucalyptus. A little leather and old cedar as well. Purchased directly from winery. Corks still in great shape

1980 vintage

Blind wine #2 Initially petroleum on the nose and slightly chalky. After a lengthy decant that blows off a little. I might have been a little kind on the score. Acidity begins to come through in the finish. Nose 6 Heavy 6 Fruit 5 Dryness 5 Tannins 6 Finish 5

1999 vintage

Second red wine and first of the Heitz Cellars. After tasting all three guessed that this was the second oldest one. Medium to deep garnet red with bricking on the edges. Aged nose with damp leaves, nutmeg, cocoa, red cherries and a touch of funk that disappeared with time. Quite a bit of acidity as it opened up, medium tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. Dark fruits and plums on the attack that grew into black and red cherries. Long finish. …

1999 vintage

Last of the five red wines and final of the Heitz Cellars. After tasting all three guessed that this was the oldest one. Deep garnet red with bricking on the edges. Layered nose of toast, pepperoni, bell peppers, dirty, truffles, damp forest floor and a bit of red cherries. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus body. Red fruits on the palate with toasty and earthy notes, tree bark, spices and a touch of blue fruits. Well rounded and integrated. Long …

1998 vintage

Blind wine #5 The nose initially has strong green peppers and a light stinky. Almost a fruity Cabernet Franc but clearly too fruity for a CF. Nose 7 Heavy 6 Fruity 6 Dryness 5 Tannins 7 Finish 8

1998 vintage

Enjoyed with a ribeye on Nora's birthday. The Bella Oaks delivered everything you'd expect.

1998 vintage

This wine is still drinking well. There is significant sediment. This bottle required special cork extraction because the cork started to crumble with a standard cork screw. The color is dark red. This was minimal bouquet. The flavor was nicely balanced with oak, tamed tannins and fruit. A lovely wine with a long life.

1998 vintage

Plums, cassis, herbs, and pencil shavings on the nose. Nicely integrated tannins with dark fruit, good acidity, and berries on the palate. Good finish.

1998 vintage

I have always liked the Cabernet from Bella Oaks (probably more so than others) and the 1998 didn't disappoint. Tough vintage but this has held its own over the years The nose has a lot of classic Bordeaux notes: tobacco, spice and a earthiness. There is still some dark fruit here, but it is the earthy flavors that stand out. Tobacco, peat, herbal spices mingle together with a little mint on the finish, which is medium in length. The tannins …

1998 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours. Deep ruby red color, elements of vanilla, oak, dark fruits, quite smooth and well balanced.

2006 vintage

This is a very good wine. Earthy, with berry notes. Expertly blended. It is on the verge of "crossing over" so drink it now. Let it breathe for 45 minutes, then drink it in one sitting. You will enjoy.

1998 vintage

Still a little life yet. Decanted for 1.5 hours. Nice red fruit and forest floor. Went well with grilled chuck roast. Wish I had a few more bottles.

1995 vintage

A bit more burly in style than what I usually expect from Heitz. Tasty, with loads of red and black fruit and lots of structure. More powerful, but still in balance.

2006 vintage

I enjoyed this wine, has some depth, though it doesn't last long on the tongue, not like some of the other Heitz i've had. Still one of my favorite wineries and this one is a pleasure to drink

2006 vintage

Very good old-school rustic Napa Cab. Red and dark fruit, and a touch of loamy earth and cherry cola on the nose and palate. Forward, dusty tannins and medium acidity. Not a heavy weight, over the top new style Cab, but rather balanced with some nice complexity. Drink soon as the fruit may fade soon. 91-93 pts. PJP 2016.

2006 vintage

Happy Birthday! 34 years and not showing its age. Nice freshness with dried cherries and blueberries, dried leaves, flowers, old leather and cigar box. Faint tannins. No decant. No identifiable sediment. Cork nearly 90% soaked through. Impressive.

1981 vintage

Four bottles were all bad!

2006 vintage

Second bottle opened tonight both were bad

2006 vintage

still strong, full bodied Napa Cabernet. Glad I have some left.

1998 vintage

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Heitz Cellar, Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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