Trip to Silver Oak, Opus One, Heitz for Dominique articles 2003/2/12

Year	Wine	Price	Rating
1998	Silver Oak, Alexander Valley cassis, dark chocolate, jammy nose. flavor of blackberry mid palate tannin, alcoholic - throat-warming, an underlying hint of licorice and cedar wood, mid body, long buttery finish. Towards the simple side. Between 3 and 4 stars. - so - ws	60.00	***
1998	Silver Oak, Napa Valley Backward nose of cassis and raspberry, full body, concentrated blackcherry vanilla flavor, tangy, very long toasty oak finish. - so - ws	100.00	****
1999	Opus One, Napa Valley extreme strong nose of cassis, spice (nutmeg) and fresh french oak. Probably the strongest nose I've tasted ever. Silky smooth body, blackcurrant, tasty oak, smoky, coffee, earth. Long long earthy finish. A general impression of harmony. A wine to die for. The 1998 was disappointing. This vintage definitely brings back their reputation to show how Napa Valley wine can be on top of the world. - so - ws	150	*****
1999	Heitz Napa Valley Cabernet, Napa Valley red cherry, raspberry, cassis nose; cherry, mint flavor, med body, med finish. Fresh youthful impression. - so - ws	30	***
1998	Heitz Bella Oaks Cabernet, Napa Valley plummy, cassis nose; spicy, acidic, violet, strawberry flavor, med to full body, long jammy finish. The 1997 vintage shows a much better Heitz minty characteristic and more depth. A very good wine but as compare to the 97, this is lacking behind. A general impression of seriousness, feeling of sipping wine in a dark quiet midnight - so - ws	75	****
1998	Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet, Napa Valley plummy, cherry, jammy nose, full body, vanilla oak, quite simple, there is surprisingly few hints of the famous Heitz eucalyptus feature that I could detect even in the 1999 Napa Valley Cab, one more proof that 98 is such a difficult, irregular vintage. The only minty hint is in the long fruity finish. - so - ws	125	****