Winemaker Notes
A very inviting wine with rich aromas of boysenberry, cassis and mint all tightly woven around a sweet core. On the palate this Cabernet is firm with rich, savory notes of cigar box and chocolate, culminating in a silky finish. A compelling and flavorful wine.
As always, this release will reward patient cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
One of Napa Valley's classics, Martha's Vineyard is a legendary site in west Oakville at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains. Heitz's 2010 rendition opens up with fragrant black fruit, mint chocolate and rich soil tones, revealing supple, layered tannins and bright acidity on the palate. Like all the Heitz wines, this is unmistakably fresh and savoury.
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James Suckling
Violets and blue fruits. Thai mint and basil. Full-bodied, very tight and long. Tangy and beautiful. Tight and fresh acidity. Beautiful and so drinkable. From organic grapes. Drink now or hold.
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Wine & Spirits
The remarkable aspect of this wine is its texture and weight, its flavors complete and fully concentrated into something as ephemeral as the brush of a silk scarf. It's a gracious Cabernet, sunny but not sweet - distinctly savory in the way its tannins cool the bright red fruit. This vineyard tucked into the western benchlands of Oakbille benefits from the cooler morning sun, the vines organically farmed on alluvial gravels by the May family. Whatever eucalyptus influence there may be from the trees surrounding the vines reads in this vintage as green olive and black licorice rather than mintiness. As W&S senior editor Luke Sykora pointed out, "this has a gentle firmness, what people initially liked about Napa Valley Cabernet in the 1950s and '60s."
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Wine Enthusiast
The mighty Martha's spends three-and-a-half years aging in French Limousin oak barrels. It has years to go, its structure so expertly captured in the bottle, yet still willing to impart a lightness of sage and sarsaparilla, the tannins firm and integrated, with slight hints of cigar, coconut and that ever-famous mint. Drink now through 2025.
Cellar Selection
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.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.