The first vineyard-designated wine in Napa Valley, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet has been celebrated for over 45 years and helped to establish California as a serious contender in the world of wine. In 1964, Joe and Alice Heitz acquired a 160-acre vineyard property in Spring Valley, a small area in the eastern hills of St. Helena. Joe focused his winemaking on Cabernet, and as fate would have it, he and Alice met Tom and Martha May the following year and formed one of Napa’s most fortuitous friendships.

After tasting Heitz Cabernet, the Mays were impressed and decided to visit the winery. Joe and Alice Heitz were equally impressed with the Cabernet grapes that the Mays were growing in their young vineyard in the nearby Oakville appellation. A handshake deal resulted and in 1966, Joe crafted the first Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine so remarkable that the two families decided to add a vineyard designation to the Heitz Cellars' label.

"Martha's Vineyard is 34 gently sloping acres on the western side of the Napa Valley just south of Oakville. This verdant niche near the Mayacamas foothills soaks up the morning sun and then cools down a bit earlier than the valley floor...the vines are fringed with towering Eucalyptus trees which are often credited with the distinctive minty aroma and taste of the wine. This certified organic ranch is home to a proprietary Cabernet clone famed for producing small berries with an intensely purple hue and splendidly concentrated flavor." - Heitz Cellar