Winemaker Notes
The 2014 vintage had a dry and cool growing season. The fruit expressed complexity early on, which helped capture the essence of the Heitz Cellar elegant style of winemaking. The 2014 harvest produced well-balanced fruit that boasted a superb depth and concentration that shines through now and will continue to develop for decades to come. The palate expresses a perfect balance of elegance and texture. The structure conveys a wine that could age for a century, but with the polished tannins and freshness that make it enjoyable today. It is a wine full of harmony and a unique, almost mysterious quality. Martha's Vineyard is a true Napa Valley icon.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
From the famous Oakville site, this aged wine spends three years in 100% new French oak, one in neutral oak and an additional year in bottle. Though it has had time to evolve, it has years to go to unfurl its core of eucalyptus, mint and cedar. It shows an unmistakable crispness of red fruit, orange peel and stone, all honed by a grippy, generous palate. Enjoy 2024– 2034. #22 Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2020
-
Decanter
Martha’s Vineyard is one of the most famous vineyards in the US, and the 2014 vintage from this hallowed site is as good as it gets for Napa Valley Cabernet. At every turn it exudes class, structure and a definitive air. Aromatically it commands you to pay attention; the palate will give you no choice. A thunderous wine in every dimension, giving off its classic mint and eucalyptus notes with perfectly harnessed power. The finish is a showstopper in its length and persistence. Tasted across five days, it was constantly on the ascent for the first two and a half, and perfectly enjoyable on the fourth. A true work of art.
-
Vinous
Another superb wine in this range, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard offers terrific freshness and verve. Thyme, bay leaf, blood orange, mint and bright red-toned fruit are all beautifully delineated in the glass. The 2014 presents all the classic Martha's signatures, along with striking purity of fruit and the greater refinement that is typical of the wines today.
-
Wine Spectator
Intense for the piercing beam of raspberry and red currant coulis flavors, this is distinctive, offering racy star anise, sassafras, mint and rooibos tea accents. Very focused through the finish. Drink now through 2040.
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.