67Wine
Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021 750ml
🇺🇸 Remarkably pure and fresh. Pristine black cherry and blackberry...
A 99-Point Napa Cabernet That Outscores Cult Wines at Double the Price
Heitz Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s most storied estates, producing benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon since 1961. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet bounds from the glass with Heitz’s signature pure red cherry and redcurrant flavors, accented by mint, underbrush, and dark cocoa. With Napa Valley’s average Cabernet price ...Show More >
A 99-Point Napa Cabernet That Outscores Cult Wines at Double the Price
Heitz Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s most storied estates, producing benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon since 1961. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet bounds from the glass with Heitz’s signature pure red cherry and redcurrant flavors, accented by mint, underbrush, and dark cocoa. With Napa Valley’s average Cabernet price cresting $100, this is a phenomenal value — outscoring some cult names at double the price, with the firm acidity and tannin structure to fascinate for decades.
Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021
- Decanter — 99 pts: Remarkably pure and fresh. Pristine black cherry and blackberry, layered with beautiful violet aromas. Everything builds with precision and focus, supported by gorgeously firm, taut, mineral-rich tannins that bring energy and drive. Compact and tightly wound at this youthful stage, its intensity truly emblematic of the vintage.
- James Suckling — 94 pts: Dark fruit aromas of blackberries, bitter chocolate, dried herbs, blackcurrants, black olives and graphite. Full-bodied with a textural, rounded mouthfeel and finely integrated tannins, leading to a savory, fruit-driven finish.
- Wine Spectator — 94 pts: Ripe, fresh and focused, offering a lovely beam of red currant and plum coulis alongside savory, violet, tobacco and singed cedar hints. Finishes with a late twang of iron.
- Vinous — 93 pts: Plump and vibrant with good up-front fruit and bright acids. Captures the essence of modern classicism typical of Heitz wines today. Floral overtones brighten the finish.
Winemaker Notes
Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021 750ml
Pure red cherry and redcurrant on the nose, accented by red plum, mint, underbrush, and dark cocoa. Firm acidity and tannin in harmony with a plush mouthfeel — a wine built to evolve for decades. One of Napa Valley’s great values in serious Cabernet Sauvignon.
Vineyard & Provenance
- Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
- Appellation: Napa Valley, California
- Producer: Heitz Cellars
- Vintage: 2021
- Size: 750ml
Food Pairings
A classic Napa Cabernet at the table — exceptional with grilled ribeye, braised short ribs, roasted lamb rack, duck breast with cherry reduction, and aged cheddar or Gruyère.
< Show Less
Wine Information:
Country: United States
Region: California
Sub-Region: Napa Valley
Appellation: Napa County
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Type: Reds
Size: 750ml
Choose when time is of the essence
Antonio Galloni writes: The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is bright, focused and nuanced, with lovely energy and tons of glass. Perfumed floral and spice accents lift the red-toned fruit nicely. This exquisitely beautiful, vivid Cabernet is all class. Like the Chardonnay, the Cabernet Sauvignon is on the lighter side, even for this style. It will be interesting to see if Heitz also pursues a bit more richness for this wine in future vintages. Drinking 2025 - 2035 - Vinous 93
Joe Czerwinski writes: Heitz's regular 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon features a slightly minty-eucalyptus edge, cherries and a hint of leather. Medium-bodied and concentrated, this is silky and fine, finishing a bit tart. Personally, I'd prefer to see more mid-palate richness, but that's not the style being pursued here. Drinking 2024 - 2035 - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91
James Suckling writes: A pure, balanced and fresh Napa cabernet that is not just showing heady concentration and dark fruit. Here you get some violets, nimble flowers, redcurrants, graphite and fine spices. Some oranges, too. Fragrant and nuanced. Medium to full body with tight yet refined tannins. Rather linear, tense and elegant, but lacking neither power nor definition. Better to give it a few years to deliver more complexity. - James Suckling 94
Jeb Dunnuck writes: Lots of ripe blue fruits, sappy herbs, and some background minerality as well as a touch of oak emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, a medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant Cabernet from this estate that's drinkable today yet will evolve for 15-20 years in cold cellars. It's one for the old school Cabernet lovers out there. Drinking 2023 - 2043 - Jeb Dunnuck 91
