Blend of 80% Merlot, 17% Cab Sauv, 2% Cab Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, deep Ruby with aromas of rich berry fruit and earthy spice tones. On the palate flavors of rich blackberry and black cherry with sweet spice, licorice and cacao notes. Fine tannins, long finish ending with oak and mineral character. Good to drink now, will age some. — 11 days ago
#AgedWineTuesday
This is a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley.
Dark ruby in color with a brick rim.
Full bodied and smooth.
Dry and fruity on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vegetables, coffee and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 23 year old is elegant and powerful. Rich and extracted, with a nice mouthfeel.
Good by itself as a sipping wine. Well balanced with great complexity. I just love these Napa Bordeaux blends.
Robert Parker 98 points. Wine Enthusiasts 94 points.
A great quality wine that will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
A blend of of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
14.1% alcohol by volume.
96 points.
$400. — 16 days ago
1999 vintage. Decanted and tasted after four hours. Medium/heavy body. Intense, dark color. Earthy, tannic nose. Plenty of grip and fruit and showing beautiful balance now. Not an Insignia fan but this was excellent and has plenty of quality time left. No rush to crush. 71% Cab, 21% Merlot, 6% PV, 1% Cab Franc, 1% Malbec. 3.5.24. — 23 days ago
What a treat to enjoy a perfectly aged Opus One with friends over dinner. The wine was gorgeous, great color, classic nose with black fruit and spice, lovely weight and texture with a long satisfying finish. I wish more people had a chance to taste this wine when it is at this age, outstanding! — 10 days 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. — 18 days ago
Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a deep ruby color with a somewhat translucent (fine sediment), near opaque core fading out to a garnet with a slightly watery rim. Medium+ viscosity with pretty significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of plums, cassis, dark cherries tobacco, some leather, some faint pyrazines, dried purple flowers, clay-like earth and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and luxurious with soft and attractive texture. Initial conclusions is this could be a Merlot, or Bordeaux-based blend from France, USA or Italy but since I seem to get more non-fruit characteristics, I’m calling this a Merlot-based blend from France, Bordeaux, Right-bank, St. Émilion, 2000 vintage. Whoa! 2005 Togni! Dang…this baby has some real Bordeaux sensibilities. Delicious stuff that is drinking very well right now. Apparently, this bottle had been opened the night before so it had plenty of time to breathe. I would expect well cellared examples should drink well through 2035. — 17 days ago
Bob McDonald
I haven’t had a lot of experience with Napa Valley Chardonnay but this was most enjoyable. Rich and mouth filling, creamy. Stone fruit and almonds. Barb said white flowers on the nose. Apparently this was picked early and malolactic fermentation was blocked. Oak influence is totally integrated - balanced. I paid $147 AUD in Brisbane in September 2021. A lot dearer than what you might pay in the States I would guess. — 5 days ago