TN: Heitz Martha's vertical 74-77 with an absolutely CURSED line up of chardonnay.

HEITZ MARTHA’S VERTICAL 74-77 WITH AN ABSOLUTELY CURSED LINE UP OF CHARDONNAY. - Major Domo (3/28/2018)

Got some bottles of pristine 74-77 Heitz Martha’s with beautiful fills and color from original owner. Set up a dinner at Major Domo - the new hotness in DTLA and went at it.

Started off with an absolutely CURSED bracket of wine. Had the 77 Roulot Perrieres off the list (it was delicious when we had it last time at Major Domo) but this one was oxidized. Moved onto the 87 Eyrie Reserve Chardonnay… also oxidized. I opened a 78 Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc … oxidized. FINALLY I pulled out a 93 Raveneau Butteaux with AMAZING color and fill that I KNEW wouldn’t be oxidized…

but it was corked.

We all cursed our luck and hoped the red wine flight would be better. Fortunately I had double decanted everything (but the 75, that was from another attendee) and they were all sound. WHEW.

[resizeableimage=600,700]https://i.imgur.com/aT3dBIU.jpg[/resizeableimage]

  • 1977 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    Much higher fill than the last bottle, but unfortunately it was completely oxidized. NR (flawed)
  • 1987 The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
    Straight from the domaine and reconditioned. Unfortunately the bottle was SHOT. It was all oak and alcohol on the palate, zero fruit. Never really opened up. NR (flawed)
  • 1978 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs - USA, California
    no more bubbles. Some acidity left, some bruised apple, but generally shot. NR (flawed)
  • 1993 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
    corked =( Beautiful color and fill. These damn cheap ass raveneau corks. NR (flawed)


  • 1977 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    A good but not great wine, pretty shy in the beginning after a double decant. About 4 hours in, it started to develop more body on the palate with dry figs and dark cherries, the classic mint is still on the nose but not as powerful as the last bottle I had. Nice drink but not the best representation.
  • 1976 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    This wine is almost as good as I remember it 8 years ago. The nose was filled with eucalyptus, black cherry liquor and tobacco that attacked and attacked like a warm perfume. The palate was still dense and dark, marked with fine grained tannins, sweet cherry fruit, earth and cigar. Wine grew and filled out on the palate as the night went on, in a beautiful spot right now, as good as any aged 1st growth could be.
  • 1975 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    TINNNNNNNNNNNY bit corked. Not corked enough to overwhelm the fresh fruit and eucalyptus. But corked enough to impact the palate. Too bad, last two bottles have been really nice from this purchase.
  • 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    I am surprised how long it took this wine to really start to show. Double decanted at 4:30pm and it wasn’t until about 8:30pm when the wine really knit together for the last quarter of the bottle. The nose is a beautiful perfume of JUST the right amount of mint, dried red cherries and savory earth. It’s an effortless wine, the fruit and medicinal herb just glides on the palate. Wine is fully resolved and elegant on the finish. I keep coming back to how seamless the wine is, just imagine delicate waves of flavor lapping at your tongue.

I wish there was a little more OOMPH on the wine to really push it up a notch, but it’s hard to really have complaints on a wine that is pretty much effortless in its ability to please.

  • 1979 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
    Oh boy this wine was good. An absolute beast of a wine. Brawny and structured with thick tannins and dark oozing black fruit. Needed as much time as it could get to open up. Becomes really fresh and filled with juicy dark fruit mixed with cigar and spice. While the Heitz Martha’s next to it were more a representation of California with riper red fruit and sweeter noses, the 79 Mayacamas could have fooled me as a top flight bordeaux. Still has years to go.

tiny bit corked? it’s corked bro.

that’s a fun lineup. from my experience (limited), i find most older napa cabs fall apart after being opened for more than 40min.

Your 74 sounds maybe a tad better than one I tasted at a pre-auction tasting last week: decent color, fair bricking, bit old musty nose, fairly decent sweet fruit, med light body, bit of cherry candy, decent acidity still a touch of fine structure, very pleasant but well into its geriatric period.

A magnum a couple of years ago showed more like yours, but I suspect this wine is reaching the end of its useful life. Pretty wild how much these continue to go for.

Can’t believe your luck with the whites. Ouch.

Charlie, you got Fu**ed

Our old California tastings always seem to evolve a Corner of Shame for all the old shitty bottles that are basically undrinkable. Glad it was only the whites.

Damn. You have bad juju. Canceling future get-togethers. At least the old ones weren’t premoxed! Just oxed.

:angry:

93 pts

Since you bought the Roulot off the list, why not have them open another bottle?

last one. They had 2, we opened one the first time there- it was killer. No charge for the oxidized bottle of course, just too bad. David Chang is a huge Roulot fan and so is the bev director Richard. Many tears were shed

Ugh…thats a tough one Charlie…the last of an era and it’s off bottle for the Roulot. Any idea how they sourced 77 Roulot?

I’m glad the 74 Heitz Martha’s showed well. As I mentioned, I’m just surprised how long it took to really open up.

At this point, there’s going to be massive bottle variation in any CA wine from the 70’s, due to variation in storage conditions, effectiveness of cork closure, etc. Given where that 74 HM came from, I was fairly confident re: storage, but obviously there’s still big cork variation.

Bruce

Cork was scary. Pulled right out with minimal resistance . Glad the bottle itself was sound

east coast broker. On the plus side, we did try the other bottle they had previously and it was amazing. Such is life

Actually the 1977 Bella Oaks was better than Martha’s in that vintage. Drank a bottle with the Heitz family.

Is that kimchee hummus?

an easy pass

No it’s yogurt sauce for the lamb and bing. Think street kabob. Get a piece of the bing, a lil green sauce, a lil white sauce, a lil red sauce, some cucumber and put in a nice hunk of lamb and wrap it up. Delicious!

So, is that an Ian 93 points or really 93 points pileon