Winemaker Notes
The classic characteristics of our prized Howell Mountain vineyard, Linda Falls, are elevated and highlighted in a way we only see in exceptional vintages. The savory complexities of pine, juniper, and sage complement notes of ripe blueberry, tart plum, and raspberry. The structure of this wine speaks to its Howell Mountain origin but with the softness and elegance for which Heitz Cellar is renowned.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a seven-acre parcel on Howell Mountain planted in 2002 at 1,400 feet above sea level (across from Cade Winery), the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Linda Falls Vineyard is a dark-hued, deeply pine-scented wine, loaded with blueberries and black cherries and backed by savory earth and black olive notes. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, richly velvety in feel and espresso-tinged on the lengthy finish. Rating: 95+
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Wine Spectator
This brims with steeped dark currant and mulled blackberry fruit inlaid with racy streaks of tar, singed mesquite and sweet tobacco. A sanguine echo adds a mouthwatering edge through the grippy finish. Rock solid. Best from 2026 through 2038. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,593 cases made.
Renowned for crafting Napa Valley's first cult wines, Heitz Cellar is globally recognized as the crown jewel of American wine. The timeless post-Prohibition style of winemaking endures with esteemed winemaker, Brittany Sherwood, producing elegant and balanced wines sourced from 100% organic and biodynamic Napa Valley fruit. Pioneering pure varietal, single-vineyard wines that can age for decades, including the iconic Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Heitz Cellar wines hail from the region’s most premier vineyard sites including Oakville, Rutherford, Howell Mountain, St. Helena, and Oak Knoll. Family-owned since its founding in 1961, Heitz Cellar continues to embody the artistry and legacy of classic winemaking with single-vineyard wines that position it as one of the world’s leading wine estates.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of this part of Napa’s rugged, eastern hills, but Zinfandel was responsible for giving the Howell Mountain growing area its original fame in the late 1800s.
Winemaking in Howell Mountain was abandoned during Prohibition, and wasn’t reawakened until the arrival of Randy Dunn, a talented winemaker famous for the success of Caymus in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early eighties, he set his sights on the Napa hills and subsequently astonished the wine world with a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Shortly thereafter Howell Mountain became officially recognized as the first sub-region of Napa Valley (1983).
With vineyards at 1,400 to 2,000 feet in elevation, they predominantly sit above the fog line but the days in Howell Mountain remain cooler than those in the heart of the valley, giving the grapes a bit more time on the vine.
The Howell Mountain AVA includes 1,000 acres of vineyards interspersed by forestlands in the Vaca Mountains. The soils, shallow and infertile with good drainage, are volcanic ash and red clay and produce highly concentrated berries with thick skins. The resulting wines are full of structure and potential to age.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah thrive in this sub-appellation, as well as its founding variety, Zinfandel.