2016 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley California

The 2016 Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the historic 34-acre Martha’s Vineyard parcel in Oakville, where Heitz Cellar has worked with the May family since 1966. The vineyard sits along the western side of Napa Valley near the Mayacamas Mountains, with well-drained soils and afternoon shade that allow the Cabernet Sauvignon to remain on the vine for an extended growing season. The site is home to the distinctive “Martha’s Clone,” known for producing small berries with intense color and concentrated flavor, and Heitz has bottled this vineyard separately for more than five decades. The 2016 growing season was steady and warm without significant heat spikes, allowing the fruit to reach full ripeness and phenolic maturity. 

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine was aged for one year in neutral oak tanks before spending three years in 100% new French Limousin oak, followed by another year of bottle aging before release. The resulting wine shows the signature character Heitz associates with Martha’s Vineyard, with mint, bay leaf, violet, dark berry, damson plum, red tea and subtle minerality supported by fine-grained tannins. The 2016 vintage received 95 points from Wine Spectator and was named the No. 3 wine of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2021.