Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Martha's Vineyard 1984

95 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 1984 Martha’s Vineyard is a great wine and one of the best cabernets to be found in the vintage. It is quite ripe by the standards of the day, listed at its customary 13.5 percent on the label, but probably closer to fourteen percent, as Joe Heitz did not really enjoy changing details on his labels for the vagaries of a single vintage! The wine is very deep and pure on the nose, while still retaining plenty of youthful vigor in its constellation of black cherries, petroleum jelly, eucalyptus, cigar wrapper, a beautiful base of soil tones, allspice, incipient notes of chipotles and a nice touch of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, ripe and full-bodied, with a plush core of fruit, fine soil signature and focus, ripe, seamless tannins and a very, very long, complex, tangy and impeccably balanced finish. The 1984 Martha’s Vineyard is now starting to drink very well indeed, but I have the sense that it is still in climbing mode and will be even better a decade down the road. It will prove to be one of the longest-lived 1984 cabernets. 2021-2065+. (May/Jun 2021)"

94 points John Kapon (Los Angeles Quarterly): "Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard had a spiny nose with lots of pitch and complex aromas of lemon, cassis, cedar, alcohol, spice, leather and a drop of honeyed sweetness. The palate was nice and fleshy, rich and chewy with lots of plummy, cassisy fruit with good cedar, spice and kick to its finish. It was very tasty, but after the 1985 seemed lesser, I must confess. The wine got chalkier and spinier in the glass but is indubitably an excellent Heitz MV. (10/12/05)"

92 points Wine Spectator: "Dark ruby-garnet color. Complex aromas of ripe currant, mint, chocolate and black cherry, this is in pristine drinking condition, offering touches of mature Cabernet flavors while still retaining some youthful fresh fruit flavors. Excellent balance, depth and richness, with ripe tannins and fruit dominating the aftertaste.--California Cabernet '74/'84/'94 retrospective. (tasted 2004)"

92 points Robert Parker: "With coaxing, a surprisingly tight bouquet offers up damp, woodsy aromas intermixed with scents of mint and ripe cassis. Full-bodied, firm, and admirably concentrated, with a wonderful layered palate, this impressively-endowed wine requires another 4-5 years of cellaring. (Aug 1994)"

Note on provenance: We procured this wine in December 2015 as part of a stellar parcel from a longtime collector and client of WHWC. This collector acquired all of these wines upon release and stored them at a professional wine storage facility since original purchase.