Heitz Cellar is a
California wine
California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when
Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted ''Vitis vinifera'' vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. ...
producer located within
Napa Valley
Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California. The area was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vin ...
east of the town of
St. Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
. An
early modern era
The early modern period is a historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There is no exact date ...
Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of
French oak,
the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon,
and has also been described as a "master of
Grignolino".
History
The estate was established in 1961 by Joseph (Joe) and Alice Heitz, during a period when the population of Napa Valley wineries had been reduced to the lowest number since the
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
, with about two dozen wineries, at what is recognized as the turning point of Napa's wine industry.
[
]
Joe Heitz
Born in Princeton, Illinois
Princeton is a city in and the county seat of Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,832 at the 2020 census.
Princeton is part of the Ottawa, Illinois, Ottawa Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, Micropolitan Statistic ...
, Heitz grew up on a farm and came to California in the 1940s while serving in the Army Air Corps. For most of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he served as a mechanic at an Air Corps base near Fresno
Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
. At night and on weekends, he worked various odd jobs which led to work at an Italian Swiss Colony winery setting him on his career path.[ After the war ended, Heitz began taking classes at ]UC Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...
, achieving bachelor
A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymo ...
and master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
s in viticulture
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
and enology
Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...
as the first seven graduates in this major in 1951. Heitz found employment under the wine industry extremes, first at Gallo, and then under André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyard as an assistant winemaker where he worked for near ten years.
In 1958, he worked as a professor at the Research Center for Viticulture and Enology program at California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...
for four years.[ In 1961, Heitz and his wife Alice bought a small ]vineyard
A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
just south of St. Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
from Leon Brendel named "The One & Only" for $5,000, planted with grignolino, and went into business for himself where his winemaking production preceded Robert Mondavi
Robert Gerald Mondavi (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008) was an American winemaker. His technical and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi promoted label ...
's emergence in Oakville.
In 1963 Heitz bought at an auction several barrels of Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...
and Pinot noir
Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...
wine from Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma, the last vintages of the deceased owner James D. Zellerbach's pursuit of Burgundian excellence sold off by his widow.[ Heitz blended the wines with success, achieving lucrative prices for the times.][ A stated strategy for success was to pay growers "what their grapes were worth", in turn increasing the standard of the product he was receiving.][ In 1964, Heitz acquired an 1898 stone winery with its ranch property, which became the Heitz winery and home,][ with the original winery retained as a visitor's centre.
]
Heitz holds an exclusive agreement with Tom and Martha May, owners of the Martha's Vineyard in the Oakville AVA
Oakville is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA and centered on the town of Oakville, California. The appellation extends over a flat expanse of well-drained gravel soil between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. Oak ...
since the first purchase of fruit in 1965 which Heitz blended with other Cabernet, an act considered Heitz' great breakthrough.[ In recognizing the quality of the grapes, from the 1966 vintage Heitz first vinified the fruit separately and designated the vineyard on the label.][ Heitz is considered the first to champion the single vineyard designation in the U.S. Later, the 1968 vintage received attention for its quality, widely considered the greatest wine made in America up to that time.][ It had been American oak vats, transferred to Limousin barrels where it aged for further two years.][ Frank J. Prial contended the wine remained "the benchmark by which California cabernets were judged" for more than two decades.][
Since 1976, a similar exclusivity agreement has existed with Barney and Belle Rhodes, owners of the Bella Oaks Vineyard in the ]Rutherford AVA
The Rutherford AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA and centered on the town of Rutherford, California. The area is known for its unique ''terroir'' particularly with its Cabernet Sauvignon. The well-drained soil ...
.
Following a review by Robert Parker where he wrote about Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that it "lacked aroma", Joe Heitz sent Parker a box of linen handkerchiefs, insinuating to the critic that he ought to clear his nose.
Joe Heitz suffered a stroke in 1996 which left him frail though lucid.[ He died on December 16, 2000, aged 81.] He was described by Warren Winiarski as the first of the Napa Valley artisans and the first to grasp the single vineyard concept.
Modern era
Born in 1950, David Heitz succeeded his father as winemaker in the late 1970s, having worked at the estate for many years.[ In 1984 the estate purchased the Trailside Vineyard in Rutherford, having previously purchased fruit from the site, introduced as a single vineyard bottling in 1989.][
During the late 1980s and early 90s there were reports of ]TCA
TCA may refer to:
Chemistry and biochemistry
* Toxin complex a, an insecticidal toxin complex produced by ''Photorhabdus luminescens'' bacteria
* Tricarboxylic acid cycle, an alternate name for the citric acid cycle pathway in cellular metabolism ...
taint, or in alternate claims ''Brettanomyces
''Brettanomyces'' is a non-spore forming genus of yeast in the family Saccharomycetaceae, and is often colloquially referred to as "Brett". The genus name ''Dekkera'' is used interchangeably with ''Brettanomyces'', as it describes the teleomor ...
'' yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
infection,[ in the Heitz cellars that were eventually overcome, and ]Tom Stevenson
Tom Stevenson (born 1951) is a British wine writer and critic.
Stevenson is regarded as an expert on Champagne and Alsace wine. He has written 23 books.
Career
Stevenson began writing for Decanter magazine in 1981, and during the mid-1980s ...
has criticized American wine writers for not daring to "tell the late king he had no clothes on at the time".[
In the early 90s, the Bella Oaks Vineyard suffered from the disease eutypa and replanting became necessary. No 1991 and 1992 vintages were made of this cuvée.][ Also in the early 90s, ]phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belongs to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); orig ...
afflicted Martha's Vineyard, and no vintages were made in the mid-1990s.[
In 2018, Heitz was acquired by Gaylon Lawrence, Jr.
Brittany Sherwood is the winemaker at Heitz and has been there since 2012.]
Competitions
The 1970 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon appeared in several wine tasting competitions, including the "Judgment of Paris" tasting, where it placed ninth out of the ten red wines, and its subsequent 'rematches'. In the San Francisco Wine Tasting of 1978 it placed second out of seven wines, in the French Culinary Institute Wine Tasting of 1986 it placed seventh out of nine wines, in the ''Wine Spectator'' Wine Tasting of 1986 it placed first out of ten wines, and in the 2006 "Judgment of Paris" 30th Anniversary tasting it tied for a third place out of ten wines.
Production
The estate amasses of vineyards, in addition to its purchase agreements, Vines
A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or wikt:scandent, scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; ...
are cultivated by organic principles per certification. Heitz Cellar annually produces approximately of wine.
Heitz works with a number of grape varieties grown in several American Viticultural Areas
An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about the g ...
including Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
and the greater Napa Valley. In addition to several vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
that are often aged in oak for three and half years, Heitz also produces varietal labeled wines from Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...
, Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...
, Grignolino and Zinfandel
Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kašt ...
. Other wines include a dry rosé
A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
made from Grignolino and fortified
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...
" port-style" wine from Portuguese grape varieties like Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Dou ...
, Tinta Roriz, Souzão, Tinta Cao, Tinta Bairrada, Tinta Madeira, Tinta Amarela
Tinta Amarela or Trincadeira is a red wine grape that is commonly used in Port wine production. The grape is noted for its dark coloring. Its use in the Douro region has been increasing in recent years. The vine is susceptible to rot and perform ...
and Bastardo.
References
Further reading
External links
Heitz Wine Cellars official site
{{coord, 38.501497, -122.417865, region:US_type:landmark, display=title
Wineries in Napa Valley
Companies based in Napa County, California
St. Helena, California
American companies established in 1961
Food and drink companies established in 1961