Heitz Cellars, Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

Into neck

95 points John Gilman

The 1990 vintage of Martha’s Vineyard is less ripe and powerful than the 1991 and is one of Kathleen Heitz Myers’ favorite vintages from the decade of the 1990s. One taste and it is very easy to understand why this is the case, as this is a beautifully elegant rendition of Martha’s Vineyard. The bouquet is deep, complex and stunning, as it soars from the glass in a blaze of red and black cherries, new leather, eucalyptus, cigar smoke, Rutherford dust and just a hint of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very refined, with fine mid-palate depth, beautiful complexity, moderate tannins and superb length and grip on the dancing finish. While the 1990 Martha’s Vineyard is already drinking beautifully, I would be inclined to give it just a few more years of cellaring, to allow it to reach its zenith. It will drink well for many decades on into the future. Great wine! (6/2011)

94 Points CellarTracker

48x 1990 (37x Bdx, 6x Napa, 5x others): Six Napa wines were added to this Bdx tasting. 1990 was not an overly exciting vintage in Napa Valley, clearly overshadowed by the 91/92/94 vintages. Almost all of the wines are past peak with not enough fruit left. In addition the vintages misses a bit of charm and creaminess and remains rather on the astringent side of things. The only star was the Heitz Martha’s Vineyard (94 pts) which showed complex, savoury, balanced and creamy with that typical Martha’s mint kick. Opus (92 pts) and Heitz Bella Oaks (91 pts) were still ok, while the La Jota Howell Mt (86 pts) and Simi Reserve (87 pts) and Latour Beaulieu Reserve (dead) were past peak.

TN: Archetypical MV nose with so much fresh mint and eucalyptus. On the palate the same aromas. So much mint freshness, balance by a nice fruit core, minerality, some meaty notes, and spices. Melted tannins, the only 90 Napa tonight with a real nice creaminess and the same freshness the others have. This is complete, balanced, long and a treat to drink. The palate would deserve 95 pts, the nose is not expressive enough. 94 pts

Decanting: No decanting needed. 4/24/2022

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