The original Heitz winery barely seemed adequate to nurture the big dreams of founders Joe and Alice Heitz, but it did match their 1961 budget.

As it turned out, the modest wooden building attached to an 8-acre vineyard about a mile south of St. Helena was just what the couple needed to get a toehold in winemaking history. Joe rapidly established his credentials as a gifted and innovative winemaker, and Heitz Wine Cellars became the mecca for bold, beautiful wines served with unpretentious hospitality.

In 1964, the couple purchased a 160-acre vineyard in St. Helena where Taplin Road comes to an end in a sun-dappled slice of the eastern hills known as Spring Valley.

The gray stone winery on the property, originally constructed in 1898 by Anton Rossi, has come to embody the rich history of Heitz Wine Cellars. Still used as a facility for aging wine, it serves as a testament to the Heitz family’s major role in the renaissance of the Napa Valley.

 Heitz Wine Cellars has earned countless accolades for their dazzling wines every year since 1961. Our remarkable Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has been a collector’s favorite for over 40 years, and it was immortalized when Wine Spectator selected it as one of the Top 12 wines of the 20 th Century.

On the world stage, Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet achieved recognition as one of “The World’s Thirty Greatest Wines” at a history-making dinner in France which was hosted by Champagne Louis Roederer in 1997.

Second generation Kathleen Heitz Myers and David Heitz, who have both been integral to the success of the family business since the 1970s, are now at the helm as president and winemaker.