1978 | Heitz Wine Cellar | Fay Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

The bouquet soars from the glass in a very pure and à point mélange of black cherries, chipotle peppers, eucalyptus, tobacco, a nice touch of chocolate, Rutherford spice tones, woodsmoke and just a hint of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very suave on the attack, with a great core of ripe fruit, lovely soil tones, impeccable focus and balance, melting tannins and a very long, tangy and vibrant finish.

Reviews:

• John Gilman: I have now had the pleasure to drink the 1978 Heitz Cellars’ Fay Vineyard bottling on three occasions in the last couple of years, and it is a beautiful example of this top notch vintage. The bouquet soars from the glass in a very pure and à point mélange of black cherries, chipotle peppers, eucalyptus, tobacco, a nice touch of chocolate, Rutherford spice tones, woodsmoke and just a hint of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very suave on the attack, with a great core of ripe fruit, lovely soil tones, impeccable focus and balance, melting tannins and a very long, tangy and vibrant finish. Like so many of the very best examples of the 1978 cabernets, the Fay Vineyard bottling is at its apogee, but shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime in the next several decades. This was a very fitting close to this brief, but glorious chapter in the Heitz Cellars’ single vineyard cab bottlings.

• Vinous: In a flight of wines from Heitz, the 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Vineyard impresses for its balance and harmony. Tonight it comes across as more complete than the 1973 and 1975 Martha's Vineyard. I come back to the 1978 Fay throughout the evening and it is always superb.

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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