Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (1983)
SommeliAI Insights
A rich and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon with mint, chocolate, and berry flavors, full-bodied and nicely balanced.
About this wine
The 1983 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon offers a rich and concentrated profile, featuring prominent notes of mint, chocolate, and berry flavors. This full-bodied wine is well-balanced, with sufficient oak and tannins providing a solid backbone. The flavors are long and full on the finish. The 1983 vintage, while challenging for North Coast Cabernets, showcases a cooler vintage profile with deep and complex aromas of cassis, chipotle peppers, cherries, a touch of cigar ash, lavender, mint, and a lovely base of soil. On the palate, the wine is deep, fullish, and just a touch sinewy, but with a lovely core of fruit, fine focus, impressive complexity, and a very long, tangy, and perfectly balanced finish. This vintage remains a beautiful bottle of Cabernet that is now fully mature and shows every indication of drinking at this high level for several decades to come.
About the grape
Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape known for its thick skins and robust tannins, thrives in Napa Valley's climate, producing wines with deep color and aging potential. In 1965, Heitz Cellar began sourcing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Martha's Vineyard, recognizing the vineyard's unique terroir. This partnership led to the 1966 release of Napa Valley's first single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, highlighting the distinct characteristics of the vineyard's fruit. The 1983 vintage continued this tradition, showcasing the vineyard's consistent quality and the grape's adaptability to the region's conditions.
Quick facts
- 🌿 The 1983 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is renowned for its distinctive minty aroma, often attributed to the eucalyptus trees surrounding the vineyard.
- 🍷 This vintage received a 90-point rating from Wine Spectator, highlighting its rich and concentrated flavors of mint, chocolate, and berry, all well-balanced with oak and tannins.
- 🏞️ Heitz Cellar's Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was among the first single-vineyard designated wines in Napa Valley, emphasizing the unique characteristics of the vineyard's terroir.
- 🍇 The 1983 vintage is noted for its deep crimson garnet color, with tasting notes describing a bouquet of blackcurrant, cardamom, and a hint of spearmint, leading to an elegant palate with well-matured tannins.
- 🤝 Heitz Cellar has maintained a long-standing exclusive agreement with the owners of Martha's Vineyard since 1965, ensuring consistent quality and expression of this unique vineyard in their wines.
Palate profile
Producer
Heitz Cellar, established in 1961 by Joe and Alice Heitz, is a pioneering Napa Valley winery renowned for producing the region's first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, the iconic Martha's Vineyard. In 2018, the Lawrence family acquired the estate, continuing its legacy of crafting classic wines from organically farmed vineyards. The winery's historic stone cellar, dating back to 1898, reflects its deep roots in Napa's winemaking heritage.
