Heitz is one of my favorite wines.  They have been around for 40 years.  They avoid advertising and hype.  They make traditionally styled cabernet, and have not changed their wine style just to please one or two influential wine critics who can make or break a winery.  They avoid overly jammy California fruit bombs, which, of course, is what the critics are screaming for these days.  I like a good fruit bomb too, from time to time, but I also keep a place in my cellar for more old-fashioned cabs.

The regular Napa Valley bottling of the 1996 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking beautifully in 2006.  It has aged effortlessly.  The color remains a dark garnet, without signes of amber yet.  The bouquet is still vibrant and fresh.  It is earthy, smokey, and has notes of tobacco and roasted meats, as well as black fruit.  There is still plenty of fruit on the palate, and the tannins have softened perfectly.  The wine still packs plenty of punch, with the fruit, tannin, and acidity all remaining in good balance.  The finish is smooth, and lasts about 25 seconds.

I purchased this unsung hero for 35 dollars at a local auction in 2006.  Wine was consumed April 2006.

4 stars.  Drink up now.  Don't sit on this beauty.

 

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