| Region of production: | Napa Valley AVA |
| Winery Location: | St. Helena |
| Year Established: | 1961 |
Vineyard Holdings
152 ha planted (405 ha total)
- Trailside Vineyard (Rutherford AVA) – 40.5 ha – Cabernet
- Ink Grade Vineyard (Howell Mountain AVA / Napa Valley AVA): 81+ ha – Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Merlot, various Douro varieties
- Linda Falls Vineyard (Howell Mountain AVA): 4 ha – Cabernet
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Martha’s Vineyard: Inaugural vintage 1966 (not produced between 1993-1995 due to replanting).
- Bella Oaks Vineyard: inaugural vintage 1976 (produced through the 2006 vintage).
- Trailside Vineyard: Inaugural vintage 1989.
- Napa Valley
Average Total Production
- 480,000 bottles
Summary
After a nearly decade-long tenure under Beaulieu winemaker André Tchelistcheff in the 1950s, Joe Heitz (and wife Alice) purchased a small winery and eight acres of Grignolino vines in 1961, just south of St. Helena. The following year, he produced Heitz’s first official vintage: a Grignolino from the property, and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines made with purchased fruit from Hanzell in Sonoma County. In 1964, the couple acquired Heitz Cellar’s current home on Taplin Road, a 19th-century stone winery and 160 surrounding acres of cattle pasture, and Joe turned his focus to Cabernet. Across the valley in Oakville’s western hills, Tom and Martha May purchased a 34-acre, young Cabernet vineyard – renamed „Martha’s“ – in 1963, and sold their grapes to Heitz for inclusion in the winery’s Napa Valley Cabernet in 1965. Joe was impressed by its quality, and decided to bottle it separately in 1966 – Heitz „Martha’s Vineyard“ Cabernet Sauvignon, the first single-vineyard designate wine produced in California, would quickly become one of the valley’s most important wines. Heitz continued to grow the business over the ensuing years, increasing the winery’s own vineyard holdings with sites like Trailside Vineyard (acquired in 1984) and Ink Grade (1989), and expanding the roster of offerings to include multiple Cabernet bottlings, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a fortified wine labeled „Napa Valley Port.“ The winery still produces Grignolino, in red and rosé versions, from that original eight-acre plot. Today, Joe and Alice’s children, David Heitz and Kathleen Heitz Myers, run the estate. David graduated from Fresno State and began working with his father in 1974, assuming full control of the winemaking in the 90s. Joe Heitz passed away in 2000. Heitz was sold to agriculture giant/Arkansas billionaire Gaylon Lawrence Jr. in April 2018.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Heitz ferments in stainless steel, and prevents malolactic fermentation in all Cabernet wines. The Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet ages in large, old American oak casks for one year, and in 70-100% new Limousin French oak barriques (depending on vintage) for an additional 2.5 years prior to bottling. The Trailside Cabernet undergoes the same length of aging, but has always seen 100% new French oak. Historically, Heitz’s wines have been built for the long haul.
Producer Website: Heitz Cellars