2018 Heimark Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

VIN98 The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Heimark is unbelievably elegant, even more than it was last year. Deep, dark and racy, the 2018 possesses tremendous depth and intensity that just builds with time in the glass. Black cherry, lavender, mocha, spice and crushed rocks lend nuance to this potent Calistoga Cabernet. The 2018 is outrageously delicious. Don’t miss it!
Estate Notes: The 2018 Heimark Cabernet Sauvignon opens with savory aromas of dried sage, thyme, bay laurel, and earthy forest humus, complemented by floral notes of lavender and fennel pollen. Intensely concentrated black fruits give this wine an irresistible succulence that adds to an interplay of sweet and savory layering. 474 cases produced.

Winemaker of the Year (2021 VINOUS) Françoise Peschon makes the wines.

After studying enology (winemaking) at the University of California, Davis, Françoise completed an apprenticeship at Château Haut-Brion in France. There, she developed an affinity for working with Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Françoise also developed a passion for crafting nuanced wines of place, where the integrity of the site speaks for itself.
Françoise was the winemaker at the fabled Araujo Estate (Eisele Vineyard) in Napa Valley for fourteen years. In addition to Heimark Vineyard, she is winemaker at VHR, Vine Hill Ranch, Drinkward Peschon, Matt Morris Wines, and is an integral part of the winemaking team at Accendo Cellars.

The family vineyard is located in Dutch Henry Canyon on the east side of the Silverado Trail, a historic wagon trail connecting the small towns of Calistoga and Napa and originally frequented by gold prospectors and highwaymen. As the first to plant on this pristine Napa Valley vineyard site, the Heimark family has nurtured this land for over twenty years. The site rests upon an ancient landslide framed by forest, overlooking the valley floor. Misty mountain mornings and golden sunsets reward the southwest-facing sloped vineyard, creating a distinct microclimate. Wild turkey, California black bear, and mule deer roam the property and are sometimes spotted stealing grapes or sunbathing at the vineyard’s natural reservoir.

Heimark Vineyard is a southwest-facing hillside vineyard planted on an ancient landslide. The resilient vines strive like native plants, seeking water through deep layers of volcanic rock and graphite. This results in intensely flavored wines with fine tannins, which develop profound complexity with age.
Heimark fruit has featured prominently in award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon from Lail Vineyards, Lewis Cellars, Etude Wines, Moone-Tsai, Arkenstone, Soter Vineyards, Araujo Estate Wines, and Dakota Shy Wine. We are honored by the acclaim and excited to bring this fruit to market under our own boutique family label.

Wine from Heimark Vineyard is redolent of wild herbs, plums, cloves, and star anise. Rich flavors of black cherries, chocolate, and thyme are supported by the wine’s classical structure, resulting in an expressive, inviting wine with great depth and lift. The lengthy finish adds seductive notes of blackberry and cocoa powder.

Our wine is aged in French Oak barrels for twenty months before bottling. All bottles are labeled by hand and feature a beautiful woodcut image created for us by the artist and arborist Ido Yoshimoto. The artwork reflects our jewel of a vineyard embedded in a forest area, with the grapes as the “gold” in the field of landslide rocks. The whale tail evokes the Norse origins of the Heimark name.