Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
(Napa Valley, California) Half-Bottle 375 mL - [JS 94] [VM 93] [WE 92] [JD 91] [WA 91]

Winemaker Notes:

The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced mainly from our two vineyards in St. Helena: the Only One Vineyard and the Spring Valley Vineyard. While this wine can age for decades, it is intended to be an exceptional entry point into the classic Heitz style and hints at what can be experienced with our single vineyard wines. To craft a wine that can be enjoyed upon release, we farm these blocks to be harvested earlier in the year and age the wines in a very small percentage of new oak.

The palate of the Napa Valley Cabernet has always been reference point for the freshness and elegance that pure Cabernet Sauvignon is capable of achieving in the new world. This cuvée continues to be the entry point for classically produced produced Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley. 

The Palate expresses beautiful aromas of blackberry contrasted perfectly with spiced notes of nutmeg. There is a luscious weight and texture to the wine, but also a racy edge of well-balanced acidity on the palate. A powerful, yet elegant wine with wonderful aging potential. A true expression of the Heitz winemaking philosophy.

Ratings & Reviews:

94 Points - James Suckling:
"A pure, balanced and fresh Napa cabernet that is not just showing heady concentration and dark fruit. Here you get some violets, nimble flowers, redcurrants, graphite and fine spices. Some oranges, too. Fragrant and nuanced. Medium to full body with tight yet refined tannins. Rather linear, tense and elegant, but lacking neither power nor definition. Better to give it a few years to deliver more complexity." (October 2022)

93 Points - Vinous:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is bright, focused and nuanced, with lovely energy and tons of glass. Perfumed floral and spice accents lift the red-toned fruit nicely. This exquisitely beautiful, vivid Cabernet is all class. Like the Chardonnay, the Cabernet Sauvignon is on the lighter side, even for this style. It will be interesting to see if Heitz also pursues a bit more richness for this wine in future vintages." Drink 2025-2038 - Antonio Galloni (October 2021)

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Deep black-currant and blackberry flavors come with a warm, rounded texture bolstered by fine-grained tannins in this concentrated and mouth-filling wine. Hints of mint and dark chocolate enhance the aroma and continue through the finish. Best 2025–2035." - Jim Gordon (December 2022)

91 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Lots of ripe blue fruits, sappy herbs, and some background minerality as well as a touch of oak emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, a medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant Cabernet from this estate that's drinkable today yet will evolve for 15-20 years in cold cellars. It's one for the old school Cabernet lovers out there." Drink 2023-2043. (Febraury 2023)

91 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Heitz's regular 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon features a slightly minty-eucalyptus edge, cherries and a hint of leather. Medium-bodied and concentrated, this is silky and fine, finishing a bit tart. Personally, I'd prefer to see more mid-palate richness, but that's not the style being pursued here." Drink 2024-2035 - Joe Czerwinski (March 2023)