Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Martha's Vineyard vintage showcases incredible concentration from this warm weather vintage: notes of ripe black fruit, dark chocolate, and sweet bay are lifted and enjoyed with the robust yet soft tannin and mouthwatering bright acidity. Harvested on October 3rd and October 4th, we are pleased with the balanced structure and vibrant aromatics this vintage demonstrates. The 2017 Martha's Vineyard has been aged to perfection in our cellar will continue to reward for the next 20+ years.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard boasts gentle eucalyptus and vanilla shadings accenting bolder notes of cassis and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied and firmly structured, aristocratic even, with a streamlined shape on the palate and a long, silky-textured finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
. This is an agile, muscular wine built on nervy acidity and braced with tannins that enliven red cherries, raspberries, smoky tea and hints of sage and cedar. Not too full in body, the wine maintains an elegant, lively texture.
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Wine Spectator
Delivers lovely mint and sweet bay leaf notes mixed with iris and hibiscus accents, before giving way to a sleek, fine-grained core built on gently mulled red currant and cherry fruit, along with worn cedar, savory and sanguine notes. Keeps nice tension at the core while showcasing a flirtatious edge.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
I bought the 1967 (the winery's 2nd vintage of Martha's Vineyard) in the mid-1970s from an older guy at the Heitz Cellar Highway 29 tasting room. As a young wine professional, I was excited to try this wine with my dad, Walter, who enjoyed Cabernet Sauvignons. The tasting room representative advised me to wait a year and serve it the following Thanksgiving — we did, and it was youthfully delicious. Now, 50 years later, I am finding great pleasure in the 2017 vintage. This lively, yet thoroughly satisfying wine exudes with aromas and flavors of earthy, crusty, fragrant herbs, a hint of mint, and dried black fruits. It should be outstanding with a medium rare slice of prime rib. (Tasted: May 5, 2025, Napa, CA)
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.