1987 Heitz Cellar, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml) [signed by Walter Matthau]

The 1987 Martha?s Vineyard hails back to the time when the labels stated 13.5 percent alcohol, and in this most recent vertical tasting of the wine, one did get a strong sense that this vintage and earlier were indeed just a tad less ripe than subsequent vintages. This slightly lower octane seems to allow an even stronger signature of soil to infuse the wines. The 1987 Martha?s is a great, great wine that seems to have been lost a bit in the shuffle when it was released, as it followed on the heels of the specially labeled 1985. The bouquet is deep and absolutely stunning, as it delivers a complex blend of black cherries, mint, a touch of chocolate, Rutherford dust, pretty mineral tones and an exotic topnote of allspice. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure and transparent, with a seamless attack, a sappy core, and great length and grip on the tangy and perfectly poised finish. A great vintage of Martha?s that is a bit undeservedly overlooked in the pantheon of Martha?s Vineyard bottlings. (JG)"
Heitz Cellar, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley