Wine Workshop: Heitz Martha's Vineyard

A wine that I can't help but think I missed a bit along the way (despite having done a Heitz dinner a few years ago when new ownership took over). In more recent times I've fallen in love with the way that the '81 is an empirically good wine despite being from a terrible year and the 70's are all just super (a 74 won a mini 'judgement of paris' style tasting that some friends did last week). So one I will continue to seek out.

Mujifuji pork ribs, black lacquer, five spice

• 1997 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  One of the best producers for '97 and a place that created a wine that doesn't seem to fall prey to the one dimensional fruit style that so many others do. There's definitely a darker boysenberry flavor here but also that mint and eucalyptus and just generally a great freshness to it. It's not my favorite year for Napa but I'd always be happy with this wine. Even more impressive since it's just a few years on the new rootstock after the phylloxera issues in '93.

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• 1992 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Splitting hairs if I had to guess this wasn't a perfect bottle. It's a little funky and a little off and there's a definite damp blanket. More brett style to it. Fruit more muted. Still oddly enjoyable, but in a tough line-up where I was leaving the wines I liked to evolve in the glass this I finished early.

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• 1987 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Very very very good. Not one that got a lot of love from the group, but as I've said tough line-up. This was darker fruits and lilac and fresh and minty and just in a great spot. I think one of the better years in Napa and it shows.

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• 1985 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Slight change-up and so the '85 ended up in the first flight and the '86 in the second. Both great wines. The 85 is almost slightly sweet blackberry, brambly, a bit more woodsy in style. It's drinking quite nicely. A wine that I kept revisiting throughout the dinner.

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Hanger steak
Crispy Salt & Pepper Fries

• 1986 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Another wine drinking very well. This was lots of ripe blackberries with a certain 'prettiness' (I think a hint floral). More fruit than some of the other ones we tried but still very well balanced and just drinking great. A wine that I kept revisiting throughout the tasting.

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• 1984 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  From a magnum. There was some concern that this was corked but I didn't get that although I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the 'best bottle'. In a very tough line-up and it didn't shine through but then again given the years not sure one would expect it to. The early funk mostly blew off although this was a tale of two wines. Early in the palate it was similar to the others with the darker berries. The finish though was just a touch off. Funnily enough, still enjoyable and still drinkable.

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• 1983 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Another wine that was a bit different and maybe most of the difference is the fruit is really more in the dried style and the wine as a whole comes across as a bit more savory. Dried meats and a bit of soy sauce and a hint of forest floor. Not quite at the level as some of the others, but again still a good wine.

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• 1981 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Again just blown away by how good an 81 wine can be. This was special. It's got all of the bright black fruits but lots of secondary flavors as well - mint and spicy and peppery and overall just delicious. One of the group favorites and I think a surprise for a lot of different folks given how difficult of a vintage this was.

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Pecan duck, dirty rice, andouille sausage, rhubarb
Roasted baby carrots in carrot gravy

• 1975 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  One of my favorites of the tasting and generally well liked. Just a beautiful wine. More of a compote jam style of blackberry. Balanced. Almost velvety in style. Comes together more and more in the glass (another one that I left for the end of the evening). It's really delicious.

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• 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Pretty sure this will be the longest lived wine of the tasting. There's so much good structure here and yet it just comes across as a bit young (I know - crazy to say for a 48 year old wine). Nice acid. Good fruit. Developing and needs some more time. Heard there was a bottle of this the previous week that bowled everyone over. This didn't have that power, but maybe with a bit more time?

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• 1972 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  This felt perhaps like of all the wines the one that was most in its drinking window. Still doing quite well but not sure that this will end up getting significantly better. It's all fresh and minty and black fruits and some additional layers. It's drinking really nicely now.

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• 1970 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Funnily enough this was my least favorite of what is to be clear an excellent flight. It was also the group's favorite wine. To me this was more linear, high acid and high fruit and not quite as nuanced or interesting as the other wines. That being said, still good compared to wines in general.

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Jasper Hill Alpha Tolman
Vermont Shephard Invierno
Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Clover Honey, Concord grape jam, Candied Pecans, Assorted fruits

• 1969 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Another one of my favorite wines for the evening. This was really bright and lovely and vibrant and jumping out of the glass. Lots of tobacco. A bit of mint and eucalyptus. Still the fruit. It's drinking really well but with lots of life left.

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• 1968 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Classy, smokey, fruity. Not totally evolved and again still drinking a bit on the younger side but it's still a really beautiful wine. Drinks well 'young'.

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• NV Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This is a bit of a unicorn wine. Made as a blend between the 1968 and 1969 leftover Martha's Vineyard barrels which were sold for tax reasons. You can tell that Joe Heitz kept the best ones but if you had this wine on your own it would be quite enjoyable. The bottle is not entirely perfect - a touch more musty. Still though that fun combination of green notes and fruit notes that is so very Martha's and something that I find quite compelling.

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One of my friends often dismisses verticals because then you find yourself picking between wines any one of which could be WOTN by itself. That was certainly true in this case. There wasn't a bad one in the group but there were some that particularly stood out. The '69, '75, '74, '86, '85, '81 to name just a few. The winner for the entire table was the '70 which was funny because it was my least favorite wine in that flight (certainly still a good wine, but more uni-dimensional and lacking the vibrancy of the others).