Heitz Cellar "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
(Napa Valley, California) - [DM 96] [WA 95] [WS 94] [WE 94]

Winemaker Notes:

Hidden in the shadows of the Mayacamas Mountains on the alluvial fan of western Oakville, Martha’s Vineyard continues to embody the pedigree of being named the first single vineyard designated wine in Napa Valley. The 2017 vintage showcases incredible concentration from this warm-weather vintage: Notes of ripe black fruit, dark chocolate, and sweet bay are lifted and enjoyed with the robust yet soft tannin and mouthwatering freshness. The 2017 Martha’s Vineyard has been aged to perfection in our cellar and will continue to reward for the next 20+ years. 

The exclusive cabernet “Martha’s Clone” is known for producing small berries with an intensely purple hue, deeply concentrated flavor and a distinctive minty aroma. During aging, only the best barrels from the vineyard are selected and bottled as our Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Spending a year in neutral oak tanks after fermentation, the wine is allowed to settle and refine itself. Next, it is barreled down to hand-selected, 100% new French Limousin oak wide-grain barrels, allowing a slow and gentle integration of the toast and vanilla characteristics from the barrel to marry with the wine. Three years later, Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet is ready to bottle whereupon it continues to mature gracefully for another full year before being released from the cellar. A wine full of balance and unique, almost mysterious qualities, Martha’s Vineyard is our flagship wine and a true Napa Valley icon.

Ratings & Reviews:

96 Points - Decanter:
"From the legendary Martha’s Vineyards at the base of the Mayacamas in Western Oakville near To Kalon. It is a lovely, harmonious, richly textured wine with plushness and decadence that remains impressively light. Leads with dark berry flavours, savoury brown spices, bright plummy notes, dark chocolate shavings and mint. Further complexities emerge of ironstone and charcuterie. Medium- to full-bodied with rich black cherry and spiced plum fruit, intermixed with sweet earthen hummus notes, tobacco, and leather. Pops of wild herbs carry through the finish, underscored by soft, almost powdery tannins and bright acid tension. There’s a special quality in the air around Martha’s Vineyard because of the towering Eucalyptus trees along the eastern parameter where the Martha’s Vineyard clone takes on some of those minty notes." Drink 2023-2045. - Jonathan Cristaldi (February 2023)

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard boasts gentle eucalyptus and vanilla shadings accenting bolder notes of cassis and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied and firmly structured, aristocratic even, with a streamlined shape on the palate and a long, silky-textured finish." Drink 2025-2040 - Joe Czerwinski (March 2023)

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Delivers lovely mint and sweet bay leaf notes mixed with iris and hibiscus accents, before giving way to a sleek, fine-grained core built on gently mulled red currant and cherry fruit, along with worn cedar, savory and sanguine notes. Keeps nice tension at the core while showcasing a flirtatious edge. Best from 2024 through 2040. 2,647 cases made." - James Molesworth (November 2023)

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"This is an agile, muscular wine built on nervy acidity and braced with tannins that enliven red cherries, raspberries, smoky tea and hints of sage and cedar. Not too full in body, the wine maintains an elegant, lively texture. Best from 2026-2040." - Jim Gordon (September 2023)