Last weekend, we had a few out of town guests in for the evening. Before they arrived, we carefully chose the wines from our cellar, which has to be one of the most exciting things, as many of you with cellars know first-hand. Choosing from a treasure trove of great wines is so much fun! And when our guests arrived, they were excited to see two bottles of back-vintage Cali on the counter ready to be consumed! Front and center was a bottle of 1987 Dominus and a bottle of 1990 Heitz Martha's Vineyard. We've been on a back-vintage Cali kick lately and thus, the pattern continued with these two Cali icons.
We started off with the 1987 Dominus served with a selection of imported cheeses. The 1987 Dominus was a great year for Dominus, and at 25 years old, it had quite a bit of life in it, but we'd probably say that it's in prime drinking mode. This high-scoring wine (96 points from Robert Parker) had a light ruby color and had notes of cassis, dark fruit and spicebox. It reminds us of great right bank Bordeaux, which is not surprising based on this wine's pedigree. Dominus is still making incredible wines, and this is a true tribute to the overall quality and longevity of this estate. The palate was just as pleasing with a nice balance of fruit, intermingled with hints of smoke, leather and spices. The wine was pleasantly smooth as if it had a velvety texture but without the weight. AMAZING!!
We next enjoyed the 1990 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard over our dinner of slow-cooked prime rib (a fantastic Cook's Illustrated recipe), along with sides of pommes anna and asparagus wrapped in pancetta drizzled with a citrus-dijon juice. If you've read our blogs regularly, you know that we love Heitz, and this bottle was just as delicious as so many that we've had in the past. This wine still was packed with punch and power and showed incredible balance and structure, topped off with the signature eucalyptus Heitz characteristic. This wine to us always seems like a classic left bank Bordeaux with a Napa valley twist. By that, we mean it has the classic Bordeaux elements on the nose and palate but has a distinctive muscular quality that can be found in cult California producers. Most importantly, the terroir of Heitz is something that has not changed since their first vintage and is something very, very special. The late Joe Heitz is a legend in Napa, and actually was just inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame this past Monday. A well deserving honor. We will definitely toast to the legendary winemaker the next time we pop a cork of Heitz.
Recommendation: Earlier this week, we picked up a premium cellar of back-vintage California wines. It's packed with cult wines and all the best California wines on the market. If you are interested, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-946-3947, or email sales@sokolin.com for a complete list of our back-vintage Calis.
Our Score - A+ for both!
Drinkability - A