Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard spotlight
The official Heitz Cellar channel presents the house Cabernet from this St. Helena estate. Martha's Vineyard is Heitz's own Oakville flagship vineyard, the 1966 site in this bottle, not a generic Napa Cabernet film.
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2019 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA
Brittany Sherwood's Oakville flagship, mint and blackcurrant from Martha's Clone, a 98-point 2019 you can open at two hundred seventy-five dollars.
The 2019 Martha's Vineyard is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from Tom and Martha May's Oakville bench: blackcurrant, mint, camphor, and mocha on soft tannin, now $275.
Napa's first vineyard-designate Cabernet, still speaking Oakville
Joe Heitz put Martha's Vineyard on a Cabernet label in 1966, the first American vineyard-designated Cabernet of its kind. The 34-acre Oakville bench sits in morning sun and Mayacamas shade. Brittany Sherwood's 2019 is one of Joe Czerwinski's best Martha's vintages: blackcurrant, camphor, mocha, then a long soft-tannin close. This is Heitz's Oakville flagship, not the Napa Valley house bottling.
The vineyard
Tom and Martha May's Oakville bench against the Mayacamas. Martha's Clone, small berries, the mint and bay leaf that made the site famous.
The wine
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Four years in used and new French oak, then a year in bottle. 13.5% ABV. CCOF organic farming.
The scores
Wine Advocate 98. Vinous 97. Wine Spectator 94. Classic Martha's, not a loud modern Napa.
The drinker
Mint and blackcurrant first. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Herb-crusted lamb or pan-seared steak.
Mint first, then blackcurrant, mocha, and iron
Joe Czerwinski called it one of the best Martha's vintages he could remember: blackcurrants, camphor, mocha, rich and concentrated, framed by oodles of soft tannins. Antonio Galloni found soaring floral and savory top notes and the essence of site. James Molesworth led with mint, then cassis, plum coulis, iris, loam, and iron.
Abundant winter rain, then a long even season. The Heitz sheet calls out bright acidity, great structure with soft tannins, and brilliant aromatics. Martha's is historically one of the last sites they pick.
Blackcurrant, cassis, mint, bay leaf, camphor, mocha, plum, iris.
Medium to full, 13.5% ABV, vibrant acidity, soft concentrated tannin.
Loam, iron, long. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Martha's Clone, then the long Heitz elevage
On the Heitz sheet, Martha's Clone makes small, intensely purple berries with a minty aroma. Only the best barrels from the vineyard are bottled as Martha's Vineyard. The 2019 aged four years in a mix of used and new French oak barrels and casks, from 228 liters to 12,000 liters, then one year in bottle. Brittany Sherwood wants the site's mint, bay leaf, dark berry, and chocolate, not a wood speech.
The vineyard sits at 170 to 190 feet on Coombs gravelly loam, Bale clay loam, and Perkins gravelly loam. Cane-pruned Geneva Double Curtain. Certified CCOF organic.
Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve just below room temperature so mint and iron stay in front of the mocha.
The vineyard that taught Napa to name the dirt
In the mid-1960s Joe Heitz struck an agreement with Tom May for fruit from May's small Oakville vineyard. The 1966 Martha's Vineyard was Napa's first concerted vineyard-designated Cabernet.
The 34-acre site is tucked against the Mayacamas on the western Oakville bench. Afternoon shade lengthens hang time. The proprietary clone is the mint.
Joe and Alice Heitz founded the cellar in 1961. The 1970 Martha's vintage represented Napa at the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
Gaylon Lawrence acquired Heitz in 2018. Carlton McCoy and Brittany Sherwood have kept the wines classical. This 2019 is that Oakville handshake in bottle.
Herbs on lamb, a hard sear on steak
Martha's mint, bay leaf, and firm fruit want herb crust and browned beef. The tannin is soft enough for a pan sauce.
Two plates. One herb-crusted rack of lamb. One pan-seared steak with red-wine pan sauce.
Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. A large Cabernet glass lets mint, mocha, and iron open together.
Mustard and Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
Mustard, herbs, and a pink center. The plate that meets Martha's mint without covering it.
Why it works: Herb crust echoes mint and bay leaf while lamb fat handles the tannin and the mocha close.
View Recipe for mustard and herb-crusted rack of lamb (opens in a new tab)
Pan-Seared Steaks with Red Wine Pan Sauce
A hard crust and a glossy jus. Classical Heitz at the steak table.
Why it works: Browned beef and reduction meet blackcurrant and cedar. Acidity refreshes the fat.
View Recipe for pan-seared steaks with red wine pan sauce (opens in a new tab)Put Martha's Vineyard in the cart
Brittany Sherwood, Oakville, Wine Advocate 98. Two hundred seventy-five dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is Heitz's Oakville flagship, mint and blackcurrant, not a generic Napa Cabernet.
