The wine was Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's
Vineyard 1976, bottle 13327 of 17568 bottles and 1200 magnums, bottled
July 1980, alcohol 13 1/2 % by volume. The wine has been stored
properly since shortly after release. The fill was still in the neck,
and the cork was sound. The color is still very deep with only a bit
of age showing around the rim. This is textbook Napa CS with much
cassis, the herbal character that some call eucalyptus, and a complex
mixture of dark stone fruit. The wine has a very high extract, but the
tannins are now fairly soft, and there is enough acid to balance. The
finish is very long. The wine is fully mature, but likely will hold
well for at least a few years. There is not too much oak or alcohol,
unlike some California CS from the 70s. If I remember correctly, 1976
was a very hot and dry year in the Napa region. The grapes must have
been extremely ripe and concentrated. This is not the best Heitz from
the 70s era, likely because the grapes were nearly too ripe and
concentrated - one gets the impression that, had they been just a bit
riper, a Port like wine would have been possible. In other words, this
wine flirts with being a bit over the top. Still it is an excellent
wine that is better than many highly regarded wines from the 70s. I
notice, from the bottling date, that the wine must have had nearly 3
years in wood. This likely was needed to tame the monster, and even
longer in wood likely could have been tolerated.