2018 Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Rutherford Cab from Napa's original single-vineyard legend — 5 years to release, built to cellar through 2040.

2018 Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Name: 2018 Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Brand: Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard
SKU: HTRAIL18
Price: 169.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Rutherford Cab from Napa's original single-vineyard legend — 5 years to release, built to cellar through 2040.

Retail $250

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Winery Produced the First Vineyard-Designated Cab in Napa
99 Point Near-Perfect Vintage ~ Wine Spectator
"Enjoy This Beauty Now" ~ 96 Owen Bargreen
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2018 Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

$250

$169

/ bottle

You save $81

About The Wine

If you know Napa Cabernet, you know Heitz Cellar. Founded in 1961, Heitz produced Napa Valley's first-ever vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon — the iconic Martha's Vineyard — and in doing so helped establish the template that Napa's greatest producers still follow today. The Trailside Vineyard Cabernet is the estate's second single-vineyard bottling, and it has earned its own devoted following.

Trailside has been part of the Heitz estate since 1984. The 85-acre vineyard sits between the Silverado Trail and Conn Creek on the fertile eastern side of the Rutherford appellation — textbook Rutherford, with alluvial soils, gradual slope, and the kind of rocky, well-drained ground that forces vines to dig deep and produce small, intensely concentrated berries. Sixteen blocks, seven clones, eight distinct soil types: winemaker Brittany Sherwood ferments and ages each block separately, selecting only the finest barrels for the final blend.

The winemaking timeline here is extraordinary by any standard — four full years in oak followed by a full year in bottle before release. That's five years of patient aging before this wine sees a shelf. If you love serious Napa Cab with the structure and depth to reward a decade or more of cellaring, this is exactly what you're looking for.

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At A Glance

Varietal:: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region:: Napa Valley
Sub-Appellation:: Rutherford
Alcohol:: 14.5%
Size:: 750ml

TASTING NOTES

What's in the Glass

PAIRS WITH: Beef · Venison · Lamb · Pasta

Mouthfeel & Acidity

Light Body Full Body

Low Acidity High Acidity

Soft Tannins Firm Tannins

Dry Sweet

100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Deep garnet-purple in the glass. The nose is aromatic and layered — cassis, black cherry, and plum at the core, lifted by notes of violet, cedar, cigar box, graphite, and dried herbs.

The Rutherford signature shows through on the palate: earthy, dusty minerality underlying ripe dark fruit, spice, tobacco, and mocha. Medium to full-bodied with a seamless texture, firm yet refined tannins, and refreshing acidity that keeps the wine focused and elegant.

The finish is long, mouthwatering, and persistent. Each block is crushed and fermented separately, spending one year in neutral oak tanks before moving to 100% new French Limousin oak barrels for two years of individual evaluation.

Only the superior barrels are selected, then aged one further year in barrel before blending and bottling. The wine rests an additional year in bottle before release — five years total from vintage to shelf.

CRITIC REVIEWS

What the Critics Said

The 2018 Heitz Cellar ‘Trailside Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from this gently sloped site in the Rutherford AVA, set on alluvial soils. This site was formerly owned by the Wildwood Ranch. The wine comes from one small block set on volcanic soils. Aged in 100% new French oak, this opens with an alluring bouquet of violet rose petals alongside crushed wet gravel, fresh thyme, cigar box and heady wild blackberry fruit tones. The herbal and rose petal aromatics really make this sing. Medium to full-bodied, with a seamless texture and good sense of length, enjoy this beauty now and over the next fifteen to twenty yeas to come. ~ 96 Owen Bargreen
Sleek and focused, with notes of damson plum, red currant coulis and dark cherry preserves corseted tightly with singed tobacco, cast iron and loam accents. Cedar and sanguine notes add a twang amid the dark fruit, giving the finish a mouthwatering edge. A little patience required. Best from 2026 through 2040. 4,627 cases made. ~ 94 Wine Spectator

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard comes from a site off the Silverado Trail, not far from Mumm. Gentle herbal notes of bay leaf or mint accent cherries on the nose, giving it an almost medicinal tinge, while the medium-bodied palate is silky but firm, bright, cool and refreshing on the finish. ~ 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

~ 93 The Wine Independent
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard is a powerful, deep and expressive Rutherford offering. Dark-toned fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and mocha lend considerable complexity. There's a bit of new oak that needs to integrate, but this is nicely done. ~ 92 Vinous Media