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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

The wine is Heitz Cellar Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon 1976, bottled July 1980, bottle 13328 out of 17568 bottles &
1200 magnums, 13 1/2 % alcohol by volume.

The wine was properly stored in one place since release in the early
1980s. There were no cork issues, and the fill was low neck. The wine
is still dark with only little evidence of age around the rim. It
still is holding very well and likely will do so for many more years,
although it likely will not improve much more, if any. This was the
7th bottle out of a case, and I see no need to rush to drink the
remaining 5 bottles. Heitz's Martha's Vineyard CSs were some of the
best made in the Napa Valley in the 70s. Unlike many wines of the era,
they were large, but not overly high in alcohol. Heitz had very
definite opinions about how to cellar this wine, and it is no accident
that it was not bottled until nearly 4 years old.

I guess the most accurate description of this wine would be essence of
Cabernet Sauvignon. Cassis is the main theme. There is cedar and the
trademark eucalyptus note present in many Martha's Vineyard and a few
other top Napa vineyard CSs. There is also a hint of a complex mixture
of spice. The bouquet and taste are very intense, there is enough
acid, and some smooth tannin remains. The balance is nearly perfect.
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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

On Nov 12, 2:57�am, cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> The wine is Heitz Cellar Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet
> Sauvignon 1976, bottled July 1980, bottle 13328 out of 17568 bottles &
> 1200 magnums, 13 1/2 % alcohol by volume.
>
> The wine was properly stored in one place since release in the early
> 1980s. There were no cork issues, and the fill was low neck. The wine
> is still dark with only little evidence of age around the rim. It
> still is holding very well and likely will do so for many more years,
> although it likely will not improve much more, if any. This was the
> 7th bottle out of a case, and I see no need to rush to drink the
> remaining 5 bottles. Heitz's Martha's Vineyard CSs were some of the
> best made in the Napa Valley in the 70s. Unlike many wines of the era,
> they were large, but not overly high in alcohol. Heitz had very
> definite opinions about how to cellar this wine, and it is no accident
> that it was not bottled until nearly 4 years old.
>
> I guess the most accurate description of this wine would be essence of
> Cabernet Sauvignon. Cassis is the main theme. There is cedar and the
> trademark eucalyptus note present in many Martha's Vineyard and a few
> other top Napa vineyard CSs. There is also a hint of a complex mixture
> of spice. The bouquet and taste are very intense, there is enough
> acid, and some smooth tannin remains. The balance is nearly perfect.


Thanks for the notes. I still have one bottle of 1974, 1976 and 1978
left in my cellar. When last tasted the 1974 was getting tired. Glad
to hear that the '76 is still holding up. I once made the mistake of
commenting to Joe Heitz at an in-store tasting about the eucalyptus in
Martha's and he became enraged, he turned beet red and virtually
screamed at me.."Goddammit, eucalyptus smells like cat's **** and my
wine doesn't smell or taste like cat's ****!" The wine rep that was
driving him around told me later that the same thing had happened at
virtually every tasting that he had been to with Joe over the years.
FWIW, I still think it has an abundance of eucalyptus notes.
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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

Bi!! wrote:

> Thanks for the notes. I still have one bottle of 1974, 1976 and 1978
> left in my cellar. When last tasted the 1974 was getting tired. Glad
> to hear that the '76 is still holding up. I once made the mistake of
> commenting to Joe Heitz at an in-store tasting about the eucalyptus in
> Martha's and he became enraged, he turned beet red and virtually
> screamed at me.."Goddammit, eucalyptus smells like cat's **** and my
> wine doesn't smell or taste like cat's ****!" The wine rep that was
> driving him around told me later that the same thing had happened at
> virtually every tasting that he had been to with Joe over the years.
> FWIW, I still think it has an abundance of eucalyptus notes.


Very amusing Joe Heitz story, Bill. Many get a strong mint element in
Heitz Cabs, especially the Martha's. I'd hazard a guess that one
person's mint is another person's eucalyptus, as both are produced by a
related family of small molecules known as terpenes. I often have a
hard time deciding between the two descriptors for the wines of Cline
and Penfolds (and, more recently, Phelps) where they seem to be nearly
omnipresent. Perhaps if you'd used "mint" instead, Joe wouldn't have
erupted. For my part, I'd have responded that there are over 200
different varieties of eucalyptus and that he clearly was referring to a
different variety than I was ;-)

Mark Lipton
(Who still regards the '74 Martha's as one of his all-time great wine
experiences)


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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

On Nov 12, 11:17�am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Bi!! wrote:
> > Thanks for the notes. �I still have one bottle of 1974, 1976 and 1978
> > left in my cellar. �When last tasted the 1974 was getting tired.. �Glad
> > to hear that the '76 is still holding up. �I once made the mistake of
> > commenting to Joe Heitz at an in-store tasting about the eucalyptus in
> > Martha's and he became enraged, he turned beet red and virtually
> > screamed at me.."Goddammit, eucalyptus smells like cat's **** and my
> > wine doesn't smell or taste like cat's ****!" �The wine rep that was
> > driving him around told me later that the same thing had happened at
> > virtually every tasting that he had been to with Joe over the years.
> > FWIW, I still think it has an abundance of eucalyptus notes.

>
> Very amusing Joe Heitz story, Bill. �Many get a strong mint element in
> Heitz Cabs, especially the Martha's. �I'd hazard a guess that one
> person's mint is another person's eucalyptus, as both are produced by a
> related family of small molecules known as terpenes. �I often have a
> hard time deciding between the two descriptors for the wines of Cline
> and Penfolds (and, more recently, Phelps) where they seem to be nearly
> omnipresent. �Perhaps if you'd used "mint" instead, Joe wouldn't have
> erupted. �For my part, I'd have responded that there are over 200
> different varieties of eucalyptus and that he clearly was referring to a
> different variety than I was ;-)
>
> Mark Lipton
> (Who still regards the '74 Martha's as one of his all-time great wine
> experiences)
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: �http://winefaq.cwdjr.net


I usually get mint in Aussie wines and I think of menthol as
eucalyptus-like and mint is a bit sharper or finer than menthol. 1974
Martha's is my #1 wine of all time.
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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

In article
>,
"Bi!!" > wrote:

> On Nov 12, 2:57?am, cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> > The wine is Heitz Cellar Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet
> > Sauvignon 1976, bottled July 1980, bottle 13328 out of 17568 bottles &
> > 1200 magnums, 13 1/2 % alcohol by volume.
> >
> > The wine was properly stored in one place since release in the early
> > 1980s. There were no cork issues, and the fill was low neck. The wine
> > is still dark with only little evidence of age around the rim. It
> > still is holding very well and likely will do so for many more years,
> > although it likely will not improve much more, if any. This was the
> > 7th bottle out of a case, and I see no need to rush to drink the
> > remaining 5 bottles. Heitz's Martha's Vineyard CSs were some of the
> > best made in the Napa Valley in the 70s. Unlike many wines of the era,
> > they were large, but not overly high in alcohol. Heitz had very
> > definite opinions about how to cellar this wine, and it is no accident
> > that it was not bottled until nearly 4 years old.
> >
> > I guess the most accurate description of this wine would be essence of
> > Cabernet Sauvignon. Cassis is the main theme. There is cedar and the
> > trademark eucalyptus note present in many Martha's Vineyard and a few
> > other top Napa vineyard CSs. There is also a hint of a complex mixture
> > of spice. The bouquet and taste are very intense, there is enough
> > acid, and some smooth tannin remains. The balance is nearly perfect.

>
> Thanks for the notes. I still have one bottle of 1974, 1976 and 1978
> left in my cellar. When last tasted the 1974 was getting tired. Glad
> to hear that the '76 is still holding up. I once made the mistake of
> commenting to Joe Heitz at an in-store tasting about the eucalyptus in
> Martha's and he became enraged, he turned beet red and virtually
> screamed at me.."Goddammit, eucalyptus smells like cat's **** and my
> wine doesn't smell or taste like cat's ****!" The wine rep that was
> driving him around told me later that the same thing had happened at
> virtually every tasting that he had been to with Joe over the years.
> FWIW, I still think it has an abundance of eucalyptus notes.


I can't believe that Joe Heitz doesn't know what eucalyptus smells like
but that is the smell of every Heitz Martha's Vineyard that I have ever
tasted going back to 1976.


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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

On Nov 12, 2:26�pm, Lawrence Leichtman > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
>
>
>
>
> �"Bi!!" > wrote:
> > On Nov 12, 2:57?am, cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> > > The wine is Heitz Cellar Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet
> > > Sauvignon 1976, bottled July 1980, bottle 13328 out of 17568 bottles &
> > > 1200 magnums, 13 1/2 % alcohol by volume.

>
> > > The wine was properly stored in one place since release in the early
> > > 1980s. There were no cork issues, and the fill was low neck. The wine
> > > is still dark with only little evidence of age around the rim. It
> > > still is holding very well and likely will do so for many more years,
> > > although it likely will not improve much more, if any. This was the
> > > 7th bottle out of a case, and I see no need to rush to drink the
> > > remaining 5 bottles. Heitz's Martha's Vineyard CSs were some of the
> > > best made in the Napa Valley in the 70s. Unlike many wines of the era,
> > > they were large, but not overly high in alcohol. Heitz had very
> > > definite opinions about how to cellar this wine, and it is no accident
> > > that it was not bottled until nearly 4 years old.

>
> > > I guess the most accurate description of this wine would be essence of
> > > Cabernet Sauvignon. Cassis is the main theme. There is cedar and the
> > > trademark eucalyptus note present in many Martha's Vineyard and a few
> > > other top Napa vineyard CSs. There is also a hint of a complex mixture
> > > of spice. The bouquet and taste are very intense, there is enough
> > > acid, and some smooth tannin remains. The balance is nearly perfect.

>
> > Thanks for the notes. �I still have one bottle of 1974, 1976 and 1978
> > left in my cellar. �When last tasted the 1974 was getting tired.. �Glad
> > to hear that the '76 is still holding up. �I once made the mistake of
> > commenting to Joe Heitz at an in-store tasting about the eucalyptus in
> > Martha's and he became enraged, he turned beet red and virtually
> > screamed at me.."Goddammit, eucalyptus smells like cat's **** and my
> > wine doesn't smell or taste like cat's ****!" �The wine rep that was
> > driving him around told me later that the same thing had happened at
> > virtually every tasting that he had been to with Joe over the years.
> > FWIW, I still think it has an abundance of eucalyptus notes.

>
> I can't believe that Joe Heitz doesn't know what eucalyptus smells like
> but that is the smell of every Heitz Martha's Vineyard that I have ever
> tasted going back to 1976.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


He knew what it smells like....he just didn't like the fact that his
wines smells like it!
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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

Bi!! wrote:

> I usually get mint in Aussie wines and I think of menthol as
> eucalyptus-like and mint is a bit sharper or finer than menthol. 1974
> Martha's is my #1 wine of all time.


Well, keep in mind that menthol is isolated from peppermint, but of
course there are many different kinds of mint, so using "mint" as a
descriptor is necessarily vague (sorta like eucalyptus ;-))

Mark Lipton


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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

Lawrence Leichtman wrote:

> I can't believe that Joe Heitz doesn't know what eucalyptus smells like
> but that is the smell of every Heitz Martha's Vineyard that I have ever
> tasted going back to 1976.


The problem here is that not all people smell the same thing. To Joe
Heitz, eucalyptus smelled like cat ****, whereas to me it has a
pleasant, balsamic odor (and, I presume, to you also). Just talk to
people about a wine like Beaucastel, where half the group loves it and
talks about "meatiness" or "gaminess" and the other half hates it and
talks about it smelling like shit. Now, does half the group not know
what shit smells like? ;-) Sensitivity to a given smell also plays a
role: most people like the smell of eau de skunk at low ppm levels, but
far fewer like the smell when it's more intense.

Mark Lipton

--
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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

In article >,
Mark Lipton > wrote:

> Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
>
> > I can't believe that Joe Heitz doesn't know what eucalyptus smells like
> > but that is the smell of every Heitz Martha's Vineyard that I have ever
> > tasted going back to 1976.

>
> The problem here is that not all people smell the same thing. To Joe
> Heitz, eucalyptus smelled like cat ****, whereas to me it has a
> pleasant, balsamic odor (and, I presume, to you also). Just talk to
> people about a wine like Beaucastel, where half the group loves it and
> talks about "meatiness" or "gaminess" and the other half hates it and
> talks about it smelling like shit. Now, does half the group not know
> what shit smells like? ;-) Sensitivity to a given smell also plays a
> role: most people like the smell of eau de skunk at low ppm levels, but
> far fewer like the smell when it's more intense.
>
> Mark Lipton


I love the smell of Eucalyptus. Smells like beautiful places in Northern
CA and in Maui.
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Default TN Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1976

In article
>,
"Bi!!" > wrote:

> On Nov 12, 2:26?pm, Lawrence Leichtman > wrote:
> > In article
> > >,
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ?"Bi!!" > wrote:
> > > On Nov 12, 2:57?am, cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> > > > The wine is Heitz Cellar Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet
> > > > Sauvignon 1976, bottled July 1980, bottle 13328 out of 17568 bottles &
> > > > 1200 magnums, 13 1/2 % alcohol by volume.

> >
> > > > The wine was properly stored in one place since release in the early
> > > > 1980s. There were no cork issues, and the fill was low neck. The wine
> > > > is still dark with only little evidence of age around the rim. It
> > > > still is holding very well and likely will do so for many more years,
> > > > although it likely will not improve much more, if any. This was the
> > > > 7th bottle out of a case, and I see no need to rush to drink the
> > > > remaining 5 bottles. Heitz's Martha's Vineyard CSs were some of the
> > > > best made in the Napa Valley in the 70s. Unlike many wines of the era,
> > > > they were large, but not overly high in alcohol. Heitz had very
> > > > definite opinions about how to cellar this wine, and it is no accident
> > > > that it was not bottled until nearly 4 years old.

> >
> > > > I guess the most accurate description of this wine would be essence of
> > > > Cabernet Sauvignon. Cassis is the main theme. There is cedar and the
> > > > trademark eucalyptus note present in many Martha's Vineyard and a few
> > > > other top Napa vineyard CSs. There is also a hint of a complex mixture
> > > > of spice. The bouquet and taste are very intense, there is enough
> > > > acid, and some smooth tannin remains. The balance is nearly perfect.

> >
> > > Thanks for the notes. ?I still have one bottle of 1974, 1976 and 1978
> > > left in my cellar. ?When last tasted the 1974 was getting tired. ?Glad
> > > to hear that the '76 is still holding up. ?I once made the mistake of
> > > commenting to Joe Heitz at an in-store tasting about the eucalyptus in
> > > Martha's and he became enraged, he turned beet red and virtually
> > > screamed at me.."Goddammit, eucalyptus smells like cat's **** and my
> > > wine doesn't smell or taste like cat's ****!" ?The wine rep that was
> > > driving him around told me later that the same thing had happened at
> > > virtually every tasting that he had been to with Joe over the years.
> > > FWIW, I still think it has an abundance of eucalyptus notes.

> >
> > I can't believe that Joe Heitz doesn't know what eucalyptus smells like
> > but that is the smell of every Heitz Martha's Vineyard that I have ever
> > tasted going back to 1976.- Hide quoted text -
> >
> > - Show quoted text -

>
> He knew what it smells like....he just didn't like the fact that his
> wines smells like it!


Well, then he should plant his grapes elsewhere,
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