Lucky Thirteen

Most of us aren't superstitious about the number thirteen. But even if you are, chances are you'd have overcome any fears to join Danny Baker tasting thirteen years of Napa Valley history—history that was "read" through the lens of Heitz's Napa "Trailside Vineyard." And if you had reservations about thirteen wines on the table, you could simply add your welcome wine (the classically-styled Heitz Chardonnay) to thirteen Cabs and count the total as fourteen.

Danny opened the evening with a conference call with David Heitz, winemaker since 1974 and son of the famed founder Joe Heitz. Southern Wine & Spirits representative, Bill Berry, interviewed David about the thirteen vintages, learning that the 1989 and much of the 1990 fruit was from pre-phylloxera vines—before the vineyards were ripped out and replanted.

Then the real fun began: tasting! It's impossible to report on thirteen years of seriously made Cab in a post of any reasonable length, but here are highlights from the vintages about which the tasters were mostly in agreement:

• 1989: Starting to show maturity, but opened up remarkably in the glass over two hours, showing more structure and complexity after two hours than upon opening.
• 1990: Gorgeous fruit in the nose. Some rated this #1 of the tasting after the first pass through the flight; a few continued to feel it was best after two hours.
• 1991: Huge, upon opening. It fell behind other vintages after being in the glass for some time, but some tasters believed this will continue to improve with age.
• 1993: Remarkable elegance and balance. Some maturity showing, but even after two hours this wine was a standout in the glass.
• 1995: Best of the night! This wine was almost universally acclaimed as the star of the evening and Heitz's own tasting notes call it "one of the best to date from Trailside."
• 1996: Ready now. With lots of silky mouthfeel and lusicious fruit, this vintage appears to be at its optimum drinkability.
• 1997: A strong contender for best of the night. Many tasters simply sighed, "Gorgeous," and kept this glass aside to compare to all the rest.
• 1999: With the 1995 and 1997, all were stellar wines. Hold the 1999. The tannins, while not overwhelming, give this Cab at least a decade more to improve.
• 2001: The "sleeper" over the evening—and this vintage is still available! Some ranked the 2001 in their top three overall. Rich chocolate overtones distinguished it from other vintages. Don't hesitate to drink now, but patient cellaring should be rewarded.