Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Sandalwood, potting soil, pencil shavings and rosemary perfume. Texturally supple, velvety and chocolate-driven, with flavours of coffee, cola, allspice and red plums. There's a gentle, refined tannic grip, while the finish is dusty, drying and finessed. With air, both ripeness and acidity increase, suggesting that this is still in its youth.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2034
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Vinous
Heitz's 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is the only Cabernet the winery bottled that year. It is an absolute delight. What a wine. Bright, lifted and yet wonderfully deep, the 2011 captures all the best qualities of this challenging year had to offer. Blood orange, spice, sweet red cherry and pipe tobacco soar out of the glass as this gracious, mid-weight Cabernet shows off all of its charms. The 2011 still has quite a bit of freshness, but I would not push my luck on aging. More importantly, it would be a shame to miss the 2011 at its current plateau of beauty. I did not find the 2011 especially compelling when it was first released, but today it is another story.
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.