I visited Heitz last summer, literally just after the new team took over, and met Ms. Lawrence in the tasting room. Wonderful lady. They had a sign outside informing visitors of the change.
Heitz Martha's is still to me the pinnacle of Napa cabs. The classic vintages: '68, '69, '73, '74, '75, '78 and '85 are still very fresh and lively today. The later vintages don't seem to be in the same league, but this might just be age differences. Consumers like to have instant gratification nowadays, hence the trend towards earlier drinking wines. The ageability of wine depends on acidity, fruit and structure all being in balance. Very fruity but low acid wines would make more pleasant early drinking, but wines such as Heitz Martha's gain a great deal of complexity from ageing, which could never be replicated without time spent in bottle. And thankfully, the greatest Martha's vintages (except perhaps the '74) are still cheaper than many of the young cult wines touted by the critics (if one can call $300+ cheap). I once served a Martha's '75 together with a La Mission Haut Brion '75 blind, and guess which wine was thought to be the better by the majority? And LMHB in my opinion made more great vintages than any other Bordeaux, so this is very high praise indeed (and I did not even put in the '74 or '78 Martha's).
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I bought Heitz wines as a callow grad student in the 70’s. Couldn’t afford the cabs but what he did with Zins was unforgettable.
Who can identify ten Napa Valley wineries that existed in 1970?
@Bob Brown
Beringer, Beaulieu, Caymus, Charles Krug, Chateau Montelena, Conn Creek, Diamond Creek, Mayacamas, Joseph Phelps, Robert Mondavi!
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@Rebecca
Rebecca -- a toast to you with Stony Hill Chardonnay!
@Rebecca
And Stag's Leap, Chappellet, Freemark Abbey, Inglenook, Ridge, Mount Eden, Silver Oak
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“on high acidity and low pH”. It would indeed be hard to have high acidity and high pH.
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I am a fan of Heitz, and carry some of their wines at my store in Brooklyn. A shout-out to their Grignolino, which is a total outlier for Napa: a lesser-known Piedmontese varietal, this red wine is pale in color, with high-toned red fruit notes, certainly stylistically it makes sense with the producer's "high acid" approach for its wines. I also carry the Zinfandel, which is a lovely expression of the grape without the over-extraction and high alcohol that so many producers tend towards (and, certainly, many consumers demand).
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Yes - in my opinion their whole lineup is worth celebrating.
Thanks in particular for pointing out their Grignolino, which is delightful and novel. They also occasionally produce a rosé of Grignolino, which is a treat well worth seeking out.
I went to Napa for the first time 3 years ago and of the 6 places we went to Heitz was my favorite. The people in the tasting room were down to earth and excited about the wines. In addition, the wines were superb and we were able to taste some of the older vintage wines. I loved the fact they were not over top with their fruit and they had terrific acidity. It is always a delight to drink their juice.
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So glad to read that the brief here is continuity.
Often when new owners with depthless pockets take over it’s: change the label, change the blend, replant the vineyard for future releases of hipper varietals, build ostentatious visitors center, all to be lead by an MBA who honed their skillset at P&G. Off course they ruin everything and later resurrect themselves as wine industry gurus.
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I remember visiting Mr. Heitz when I was a barrel peddler in the mid-seventies. He was not a purchaser but eager for me to taste a number of experiments.....a lesson in nuances. So glad that Heitz continues.
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