HEITZ CELLAR Wine dinner at Michael Mina's Stripsteak at the Fontainebleau Hotel

What is better than to sit at the end of a day and drink wine with friends, or substitute for friends.
 -James Joyce

We only have great friends here at Wine Watch and what better reason to get together than to drink some great wines.  Every time I get a collection of wine that contains a vertical selection of a wine like Heitz Martha's Vineyard I put a tasting on the calendar to experience some of these with our Wine Drinking People.

Heitz Cellar is the first winery in California to release a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with the Martha's Vineyard 1965 Cabernet Sauvignon.  They were also the first winery that wine lovers lined up at the winery upon release to purchase a bottle at ridiculous prices or what they considered ridiculous in the 1970's. 

This is a short vertical of Martha’s with two vintages on the table this evening but you get to taste a 10+ year old selection of this famous wine to show why you want to buy the current release and cellar it.  This is one of the most age worthy of all the Napa wines and this tasting is an incredible value as it is priced less than the cost of a single bottle of Martha’s!!

Come and check out one of South Florida’s top restaurants as “The Cellar 1954” series continues Friday, March 17, 2017, at Fontainebleau's Signature Restaurant, StripSteak. Diners will enjoy a decadent five-course menu prepared by chef de cuisine, Jun Hee Lee, complemented by these world-renowned wines from Heitz Cellar.

This dinner is priced at $200 per person including tax and gratuity- that is less than the price of one bottle of the Martha’s Vineyard and we are serving two this evening!!  Go to https://fontainebleau.com/events to make reservations.

Heitz Cellars Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Stripsteak
Friday, March 17th
8pm

{ AMUSE BOUCHE }
SALMON CRUDO

caviar, orange dressing, horseradish

Heitz Grignolino Rosé 2016

The rule around the Heitz house has long been, the rosé must be ready by Easter! Wine enthusiasts have shared the Heitz Family's affection for this unique wine since 1961. The Grignolino (pronounced green-o-lean-o) Rosé is produced with a northern Italian varietal known in the Piedmont region as the "little strawberry." The original vineyard, since replanted to the Heitz home ranch, was called by its former owner, "The Only One." This rosé is typically fruity and enticing, but very dry on the palate, just the thing for spring salads with goat cheese, or a Sunday brunch crab Benedict.

{ FIRST COURSE }
PAN-SEARED SCALLOP

parsnip purée, ginger-chive oil, potato chip

Heitz Chardonnay Napa 2015
Price: $32.75       Sale $28.82          Case $335

The 2012 Zinfandel, from Ink Grade, is soft, floral and perfumed throughout. Sweet red cherry, mint and wild flowers are all knit together in a delicate lifted wine. Drink this fragrant, juicy Zinfandel over the next few years. (AG) (10/2015) Vinous

{ SECOND COURSE }
PORK BELLY

braised pork belly, bourbon pineapple, radish salad

Heitz Ink Grade Vineyard Zinfandel 2012
Price: $33.00       Sale $29.04          Case $337

{ MAIN COURSE }
FILET MIGNON

caramelized onion, smoked carrot purée, au poivre sauce

Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Price: $221.25    Sale $194.70       Case $2257

Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

{ DESSERT }
cheese course

Heitz Ink Grade Port NV
Price: $43.50       Sale $38.28          Case $444
Rich and full-bodied with a wonderfully balanced sweetness, Heitz Ink Grade Port has been a customer favorite since we introduced it in 1994.
The lush, fruitiness of this wine comes from a blend of eight classic Portuguese varieties. Our winemaker has combined several vintages to achieve an outstanding depth of dark berry flavors with smooth notes of honey.
You will not want to wait for dessert! Heitz Ink Grade Port is also terrific paired with your favorite cheese or by itself as an aperitif.

This dinner is priced at $200 per person including tax and gratuity- that is less than the price of one bottle of the Martha’s Vineyard and we are serving two this evening!!  Go to https://fontainebleau.com/events to make reservations.

A bit about Heitz Cellars:

In January of 1990 The Wine Spectator featured the Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon on its cover and anointed it "California's Most Treasured Wine."  There certainly must have been something to that story, for collectors and wine fanatics began lining up at 3 AM one February morning in 1990 -that was the day that the 1985 Heitz "Martha's" was released - to get a piece of the action.  By 8 AM when the doors to the retail outlet were flung open, there were some 200 people waiting in line for the wine that Joe Heitz said might just be the greatest "Martha's ever produced."  Most of the people waiting in line left disappointed - they got some of the wine...but not anywhere near as much as they wanted.  As the day wore on, old Joe kept cutting back the allocations as it became obvious that the line was not going to outlast his limited inventory.

What makes this Cabernet so special and why would grown men wait hours and pay great sums of money (like rock-and-rollers vying for tickets to a Stones concert) for a few bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon?  Nothing like this had ever been witnessed outside the famous chateaux of Bordeaux - nor, for that matter, almost anywhere else in California (it should be pointed out that there was a similar wait for the release of another Napa Valley treasure - the 1985 Caymus "Special Selection" Cabernet).  Since the first release of the Heitz "Martha's in 1966, this wine has been among the leading Cabernets produced in California.  However, while many other great wines of California's recent past impressed upon released, many faded into early senility.  Not so with "Martha's" - this wine has had the depth and structure to improve; and many of the vintages are still doing just that.  Wines like 1968, 1970, 1973, and 1974 are still quite youthful and appear to be still improving.  Over the years collectors have been willing to shell out the largest sums of money yet paid for older California Cabernets.  The Wine Spectator reports that the 1970 Heitz "Martha's" is worth an estimated $275/bottle, while the Mondavi Reserve is worth $135 and the BV Reserve (thought to be California's leading collectable) is worth about $130.  Other factors besides ageability and quality have affected the worth of the "Martha's", and one of the prime ones is scarcity - less than 5,000 cases are produced most years.  That is considerably less (by as much as a third) than Mondavi or BV.

Martha's Vineyard was planted in 1961 by Barney & Bella Rhodes, prominent Napa Valley wine collectors and friends and investors of Joe Heitz.  The vineyard is located in Rutherford up against the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains that form the western border of the Napa Valley.  A ring of towering eucalyptus trees surrounds the vineyard, and folklore has it that the distinctive and characteristic minty aroma and taste of Martha's Vineyard is somehow attributed to the effects of these trees - some even claim that a few eucalyptus acorns end up in the grape gondolas every harvest!  In 1964 (before the vineyard had ever born fruit) it was sold to Tom & Martha May, who also became stockholders in the Heitz winery.  The first crop from the vineyard came in 1965, and Joe Heitz was so thrilled with the wine that he decided to bottle it separately (and so label it) in the following year.  Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" was one of the first of the now common vineyard-designated wines produced in California.

Over the years the Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernets have not been without their controversy.  Joe Heitz was always on the forefront of the price line, and he was the first California vintner to charge heavy prices for his wines.  Although Joe is not well liked in the Napa Valley community for his testy Harry Truman-like personality, he is grudgingly respected; and he is widely given credit for blazing the path for the premium price end of the California wine industry.   The Heitz "Martha's" is aged in a combination of new and used oak (mostly the latter, for Joe eschews the heavy-handed oak taste so many California Cabernets exhibit).  The "Martha's" is noted for its early accessibility (except in monumental vintages), its deep fruit, its concentration and extract, and its ability to evolve tremendously with age.  In addition to the high price, the traditionalist approach to winemaking, and the irascible Mr. Heitz himself, the wine's quality has been at the center of the controversy that has swirled around it these past few years.  Some have felt (including us) that, given the opportunity to fashion a Cabernet from Martha's Vineyard, a Tony Soter, a Randy Dunn or a Ric Forman (some of California's great young winemakers) might just do a better job.  Several disappointing vintages in the late seventies (1978 in particular) and early eighties further fanned the rumors that the Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" would be around only as long as seventy-year old Joe was.  But Heitz is still around today making some of Napa Valley’s best wines and the Martha’s Vineyard will celebrate its 51th vintage with the 2017 harvest!

Other Heitz Wines Available:

Heitz Sauvignon Blanc Napa 2014                                                            
Price: $27.00       Sale $23.76          Case $276

“With good intensity to the lemon, green apple and pineapple notes, plus a touch of lemongrass, this is vividly juicy and equally focused on the finish. (MW, Web-2016) “ Wine Spectator

Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2012                                                    
Price: $63.25       Sale $55.66          Case $645

Our 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet encapsulates the freshness of a near-perfect growing season.  Aromas of fresh-picked blackberry and cassis abound from this lively wine. A beautiful, inviting wine that effortlessly balances classic Cabernet richness with silky tannins on the palate. This is a quintessential Cabernet Sauvignon through and through – at once charming and complex.  This is one to sip now or savor later. It will reward you either way.

Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Napa 2002                                                                 
Price: $98.00       Sale $86.24          Case $1000

The 2002 Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a tribute to the marvelous character of its Rutherford terroir and to the purity of the varietal.Powerful and beguiling, this deeply-hued wine awakens the senses with the aroma of ripened blackberry, ripe cherry and slight notes of cedar. Then the palate fills with the mouth-watering flavors of rich, dark fruit seamlessly integrated with French Limousin oak.
Impeccably balanced with firm tannins and a supple structure, this luscious Cabernet soars to a harmonious, lengthy finish. It is certain to impress those who drink it today as well as those who choose to cellar.

Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside 2006 (Magnum)
Price: $181.50    Sale $159.72       Case $926

Pure, rich and graceful, with an elegant mix of plum, currant, blackberry, licorice, savory herb and dusty oak notes. Very complete and easy to enjoy now. The tannins are chewy and gripping, but this one is ready and should hold another five years with ease.-2006 California Cabernet blind retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2022. (Web Only, 2016) Wine Spectator

Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006                                                        
Price: $206.00    Sale $181.28       Case $2102

Pure and concentrated, our Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon shares the unique beauty of its Napa Valley terroir with its lush varietal aroma.

This is a well-integrated wine with a generous core of dark, rich fruit lightly embraced with mint. Layers of black cherry flavor unfold gracefully across the palate, building to a long, lovely finish.

The incomparable Martha's Vineyard Cabernet is internationally acclaimed for its distinctive flavor and quality. Whether you choose to drink it today or cellar it for years to come, this is an unforgettable wine from a fabulous vintage!

Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2004                                                        
Price: $222.00    Sale $195.36       Case $2265

The regal purple of 2004 Martha's Vineyard Cabernet in the glass is the perfect introduction to this exceptional vintage.

Lavish varietal aromas and a signature twist of mint are followed by an exquisite mouthful of rich black cherry. This is Cabernet Sauvignon at its finest, produced with sun-ripened fruit from the legendary Martha's Vineyard. During our extended aging process, beautifully integrated French oak adds an appealing note of toasted vanilla.

This skillfully balanced Cabernet displays the elegant complexity of its noble heritage as it builds to a long, lovely finish --- impressive to drink now and certain to age gracefully.

Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (Magnum)
Price: $535.50    Sale $471.24       Case $5463

(96 points) Not surprisingly, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard is the least expressive of these wines. At the same time, so much of its appeal is in its tightly-coiled energy and tension. Cherry pit, smoke, blood orange, mint and spice open up with time in the glass, but the 2010 is clearly built for cellaring. The wine's brightness and focus are compelling, but the 2010 needs time. (AG) (10/2015)  Vinous