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: 1985 Heitz Cellar "Bella Oaks" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

1985 Heitz Cellar "Bella Oaks" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

SKU #901253 92 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark Powerful and complex, with lots of ripe cherry, currant and spice aromas and flavors, hinting at chocolate and toast on the long, long finish. A big wine with plenty of grace and elegance. *Cellar Selection* Inner quote mark (5/1990)

90 points John Gilman

Outer quote mark Remarkably, the 1985 Heitz Bella Oaks cabernet is still a fairly young wine and in need of a bit more cellaring to really blossom. The bouquet is deep, pure and classy, as it offers up scents of black cherries, tobacco smoke, a touch of chipotle pepper, Rutherford dust, a bit of nuttiness and a nice framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, young and rock solid at the core, with ripe tannins, good focus and a long, chewy and slightly rigid finish. This needs at least another four or five years of cellaring to fully soften, but there is a slight possibility that the rigidity that the wine currently shows on the backend may always be part of its profile. A very good wine in need of a few more years of bottle age. The ’85 Bella Oaks should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage. (Drink between 2015-2040) 90+ Inner quote mark (5/2011)

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1985 Heitz Cellar "Bella Oaks" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $119.99

Quantity:

WS: 92

JG: 90

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Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Napa Valley

- America's most famous wine region, which encompasses a varied geographical territory running about 20 miles long from the San Francisco Bay northward to the foot of Mount St. Helena. Napa's great diversity, both in terms of climate and terroir, has led to the creation of a number of smaller AVAs like Stags Leap District, Rutherford, Howell Mountain, Oakville and Mount Veeder, among others. Cabernet and chardonnay still reign supreme, but just about everything under the sun is grown in Napa Valley, in quality levels ranging from $2 jug wine to $500 a bottle California cab.