1991 | Heitz Wine Cellar | Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Magnum)

Medium crimson garnet, ocher reflections, broader edge brightening. Extremely intense nuances of eucalyptus, fresh cigar tobacco, a hint of lime zest, After Eight, cold smoke. Juicy, elegant, full-bodied texture, fine core sweetness, seems a bit loose-meshed on the palate, still in very good shape, but only of medium length.

Reviews:

• John Gilman: The 1991 vintage has long been touted as one of the great recent vintages for Cabernet Sauvignon, and this is certainly evident in the '91 Martha's Vineyard. The nose is deep, ripe and absolutely classic in its aromatic mélange of red and black cherries, mint, tobacco, a touch of chocolate, lovely soil tones and a deft framing of new oak. On the palate the wines is deep, full-bodied, pure and quite powerful in style, with a great core of pure fruit, a lovely signature of soil, ripe tannins and impeccable balance on the very, very long and tangy finish. Superb juice, and decidedly more impressive than many of the highly-touted 1991 Cabernets that I reported on several issues ago in the newsletter. This is still a very young wine and will need a good decade more cellaring to really reach its apogee.

• Wine Spectator: Offers a distinct mint-chocolate aroma, and rich minty currant and black cherry flavors in a complex, deeply concentrated, sharply focused style.

Producer Information

Heitz Wine Cellar is an iconic Napa Valley wine producer located just south of St Helena. It is most famous for its single vineyard wines made of Cabernet Sauvignon, and in particular the Martha's Vineyard wine, which is one of Napa's "Cult Cabernet" labels. The estate was founded by Joe Heitz in 1961. Heitz had been a professor in the enology department of California State University in Fresno, and had previously assisted the legendary pioneering California winemaker André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyards. Wanting to begin his own project, Heitz bought eight acres (3.4 hectares) of vineyards that were mostly planted with the Italian Grignolino grape. Heitz Cellars continues to make a wine from this variety today. As with many Napa producers, Heitz's success has been associated with its flagship Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Heitz is the exclusive lease holder of the 35 acre (14 hectare) Martha's Vineyard in the Oakville AVA and has used its fruit to produce vineyard-designated varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the 1966 vintage. The estate runs vineyards across the wider Napa Valley area, with sites in Oakville, Rutherford, St Helena, Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll District, and Calistoga. Until recently, Heitz generally shied away from using Napa's sub-AVA titles, choosing instead to use the more generic Napa Valley AVA along with the vineyard name. The style of Heitz's Cabernet Sauvignon wines has remained consistent over the years. The winery uses French oak over American, and fruit is harvested slightly earlier than much of the rest of the region, giving a wine that is slightly higher in acidity than most. Heitz makes a range of other wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as from other classic Napa varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Zinfandel. Heitz was bought by Arkansas-based billionaire Gaylon Lawrence in 2018 and is now part of the Lawrence Family group of holdings which spans interests in agriculture and farming, banking and commercial real estate.

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