Heitz Cellar Quartz Creek Chardonnay 2018
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Quartz Creek Chardonnay is the most refined Chardonnay they have ever crafted; notes of sea salt, Meyer lemon, tangerine zest, orange blossom, and wet stone are all supported by the tension and weight of pristine Chardonnay grown over a bed of Quartz rock. The brilliant acidity from early harvesting is balanced by the fullness that can only be achieved with 14 months of lees aging. A lower percentage of new oak, hovering around 10%, gives a lift to the wine while the 90% that was aged in neutral French oak ovals providing freshness and length. They are thrilled to introduce this exquisite wine as this vineyard’s inaugural release and to reintroduce Heitz Cellar as a grower of age-worthy, classically driven Chardonnay.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
This is the first release of Heitz’s Quartz Creek chardonnay, a wine focused by an early harvest and limited influence of new oak (90 percent of the wine aged in neutral French oak ovals). It feels light and airy, with fresh acidity enlivening the nectarine and bright lemon flavors. It’s perfumed the way summery-ripe fruit openly shares its fresh aroma. A lovely direction for Napa Valley chardonnay.
-
Wine Spectator
This big version is filled with vibrant acidity to the lithe mix of mineral, ginger and lemon tart flavors. Notes of dried green herbs midpalate lead to a minerally finish that is crisp and zesty. Drink now.
Other Vintages
2020-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James
Family owned since its founding in 1961, Heitz Cellar’s legacy runs as deep as the roots throughout the Napa Valley; a winery legend that has helped shape the history of Napa Valley winemaking. In the late 1950’s, pioneering vintner Joe Heitz ushered in Napa’s modern era with his iconic, globally celebrated wines, including Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, the renowned Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard. Fifty-eight years of the Heitz family’s dedication to viticulture, stewardship, and classic winemaking, maintained the winery’s notoriety as a benchmark amongst its peers in California and Europe.
In April, 2018, Heitz Cellar entered an exciting new chapter as this rich legacy was passed into the hands of the Lawrence family, whose deep roots in agriculture and commitment to the same core values of fine winemaking made it a perfect match. The wines are made with an unwavering commitment to quality from organically farmed, 100% Napa Valley fruit, and a commitment to the sustainability of Napa Valley.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.