The 2018 Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is opaque purple-black in color. Notes of creme de cassis, licorice, cedar, and charcoal slowly emerge from the glass, giving way to hints of chocolate mint and pencil lead. The medium to full-bodied palate is vivacious and intense, with mint-laced black fruit layers and a fine-grained texture, finishing long and lifted. Give this vibrant, structured beauty 3-4 more years in bottle and drink it over the next twenty years+. Martha's Vineyard is in the foothills of the Mayacamas mountains, on the southern side of Oakville. First made in 1966, it was the first single-vineyard wine in Napa Valley.

(96+ points) In a vintage that played to its strengths, the terrific 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard is a cool, gently herbal wine, loaded with black cherries and cassis, with just a touch of licorice. It's medium to full-bodied, rich and velvety without being heavy at all, concentrated and intense, with a long, tannic but ripe finish. Give it a few years in the cellar if you can keep your hands off it.- JC

This red brims with dark currant, cherry and loganberry fruit, but you have to work through a lush swath of menthol to get there, all while notes of sweet tobacco and a hint of loam run underneath. Fine-grained, with a lingering twang of iron, this has all it requires for a lengthy cellar run, yet needs to meld a bit more. Best from 2026 through 2045. 3,612 cases made.

Very pure, vibrant and delineated throughout, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard is marked by strong floral overtones and mid-weight structure that confer grace. Lifted, elegant and precise, the 2018 is quite attractive. Like all these new releases from Heitz, the Martha's shows a bit of wood influence from casks that were new when this wine was made. - By Antonio Galloni, December 2023