Touchstone Napa Cab
Joe and Alice Heitz moved into Napa Valley in 1961 and founded their eponymous winery. The rest is history. A touchstone Napa Cabernet since day one, a participant in the Judgement of Paris in 1976, and still a small family-owned property today, this wine has always been a favorite of mine. The house style has always been old school. Not chasing big points or hedonistic ripeness, this is a wine that has always been able to age gracefully and actually pair with a meal. Endless attention to detail led to skipping the entire 2020 vintage due to smoke issues, without a significant jump in price for the 2021 vintage.
Heitz Cellar’s Cabernet has always felt like it has one foot in the old world and one in the new. 94-point scores are about what I want from this wine, because anything higher and we would start to get into overly extracted, alcoholic fruit bombs. You’ll see in the tasting notes that the wine has references to pencil lead, red currant, and herbs–more Bordeaux descriptors than Napa.
Here, marked down from $99 to $57, you'll find old-school wine prices as well. Welcome to Black Friday. Offer 6 done, 2 more today, and 4 more on Monday. 94 Points, Wine Spectator Ripe, fresh and focused, with a lovely beam of red currant plum coulis that stretches out alongside hints of savory, violet, tobacco and singed cedar. Finishes with a late twang of iron. Nicely done. Drink now through 2038. .
94 Points, Wine Spectator
Ripe, fresh and focused, with a lovely beam of red currant plum coulis that stretches out alongside hints of savory, violet, tobacco and singed cedar. Finishes with a late twang of iron. Nicely done. Drink now through 2038.