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96 WA.
"Heitz purchased 40 acres of woodlands on Howell Mountain in 2002 and subsequently planted seven of those acres. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Linda Falls Vineyard is an impressive effort from those vines, offering smoke and vanilla-tinged cassis aromas. Concentrated and dense, this is tightly wound but not overly tannic, with a long, blueberry-accented finish. It was big news in 2018 when Memphis-based Gaylon Lawrence Jr. purchased Heitz. Continuing to make waves, Lawrence subsequently hired Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy Jr. to be CEO of his Napa wine businesses and purchased additional Napa properties, including two other Napa wineries (Burgess, Stony Hill). The latest shockwave to drop was when Heitz announced its new $1,000 tasting experience. Fortunately, I didn't have to spend subscribers' money in order to try these wines. McCoy was recently in New York City to promote his new series on CNN, and took some time out to taste through the latest releases with me. The Cabernet Sauvignons undergo a long, cool ferment (never above 70 degrees Fahrenheit) before going into oak uprights. Then the lots are tasted to determine their future élevage, averaging about 25% new oak. The results are decidedly old-school Napa Cabernets, possessed of more streamlined palate shapes and classic structures than many contemporary valley-floor wines." Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate Interim, May 2022 |