Heitz Cellar

Heitz Cellar is a winery and wine brand based in California’s Napa Valley. The winery says it has been creating classic Napa Valley wines since 1961 and has remained family-owned since its founding. Its founder, pioneering vintner Joe Heitz, helped shape Napa Valley’s modern winemaking era. The winery identifies Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as a landmark wine and describes it as Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon. The brand’s range includes Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley vineyards and appellations, with Martha’s Vineyard and the reintroduced Lot C-91 among the named cuvées featured on its website. Heitz Cellar says its wines are made from 100% Napa Valley fruit and that its estate vineyards are organically farmed. Its vineyards span Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll District, and Calistoga. The winery states that all its vineyards are certified organic by CCOF. In April 2018, ownership passed from the Heitz family to the Lawrence family. Heitz Cellar presents its approach in terms of classic winemaking, stewardship, and preserving its Napa Valley legacy. It also offers winery visits and the Heitz Cellar Society, and describes a community-giving initiative called Heitz Cellar Gives Back. The official website continues to feature current releases and wine experiences.

Heitz Cellar’s history is closely tied to the development of modern Napa Valley winemaking. The winery identifies 1961 as its founding year and Joe Heitz as its pioneering vintner. Its account says Heitz helped usher in Napa’s modern era in the late 1950s, before the winery was founded, with wines that became known beyond the region. The official history singles out Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery describes the Heitz family’s stewardship as lasting 58 years before a change in ownership. In April 2018, Heitz Cellar entered a new chapter when the Lawrence family took ownership. The winery presents the transition as a fit based on the Lawrence family’s agricultural roots and commitment to fine winemaking. It has continued to describe itself as family-owned and to emphasize continuity with its history and legacy. In its current presentation, Heitz Cellar connects its wines to Napa Valley’s varied vineyard sites. Its estate vineyards are located across six sub-appellations: Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll District, and Calistoga. The winery states that its wines are made from 100% Napa Valley fruit, that its vineyards are organically farmed, and that all its vineyards are CCOF-certified organic. Its stated priorities include sustainability and agricultural stewardship. The brand’s current offering and visitor program include single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, winery experiences, and the Heitz Cellar Society. The official homepage also features the return of Lot C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon, described as a cuvée revived after half a century, and a community initiative, Heitz Cellar Gives Back. These offerings sit alongside the winery’s continuing focus on classic Napa Valley wines and its historic Martha’s Vineyard bottling.

• Joe Heitz helps usher in Napa’s modern winemaking era

• Heitz Cellar is founded

• Ownership passes to the Lawrence family

• Lot C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon is reintroduced

A legacy Napa Valley winery focused on classic wines, organically farmed Napa Valley fruit, vineyard expression, and agricultural stewardship.

• Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

  A signature vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon that the winery identifies as Napa Valley’s first of its kind.

• Lot C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon

  A cuvée the official homepage describes as having returned after half a century.

• Single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons

  The winery invites visitors to taste and learn about its single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley appellations.

• Ownership transferred to the Lawrence familyOther

1. 1Heitz Cellar | Historic Family-Owned Napa Valley Wineryheitzcellar.com
2. 2About - Heitz Cellarheitzcellar.com