1997 | Heitz Wine Cellar | Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

A deep, intense wine, the 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard is rich and beautifully layered, with sweeping stature. Dark red cherry, crushed flowers, mint and spice fill out in the glass.

Reviews:

• John Gilman: There have only been three vintages in the history of the Martha’s Vineyard bottling that have been given unique labels by the winery: the 1974, 1985 and 1997. When I asked Kathleen Heitz Myers about this, she said that the special labels were selected to denote vintages of absolutely extraordinary character. The 1997, which was only the second vintage to be produced from the replanted vineyard, is indeed a brilliant young vintage of Martha’s, as it soars from the glass in a deep and youthfully beautiful blend of black cherries, cassis, saddle leather, woodsmoke, gentle notes of eucalyptus and still a touch of cedary oak spice. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and rock solid at the core, with ripe tannins, excellent focus and outstanding length and grip on the perfectly poised finish. A tad less ripe than some of the recent vintages, the 1997 Martha’s tips the scales at 14.3% alcohol and seems likely to be one of the all-time classics in the history of this bottling.

• Decanter: The 1997 is one of the modern-day icons from Martha's Vineyard, and only the second vintage to be produced after the 1993 replanting. A rich and complex bouquet of ripe black cherry, mint chocolate, cassis and mocha is the prelude to a plush, expansive palate with remarkable volume and intensity. The velvety quality of the tannins is particularly special. While this is certainly a ripe vintage, the Heitz team produced a wine with impeccable balance which is only just entering the beginning of its drinking window. Every time I encounter it, it seems better than the last.

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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