History
Charlie Heintz's grandparents settled the ranch in 1912, and the family worked it through chicken, berry, cherry and apple eras before vines returned in earnest. Charlie, third generation, took over the farming in 1984. Littorai made the site's first single-vineyard Chardonnay in 1994 and has bought the same seven rows ever since; Williams Selyem, DuMOL, whose Isobel Chardonnay is named for the winemaker's daughter, Ceritas, Flowers, LIOCO, LaRue, Radio-Coteau and a long roster of others followed. The family bonded its own Charles Heintz Vineyards label in 1997, with Dutch Bill Creek as the second label.
The Site
The plateau sits half a mile east of Occidental on the second ridge in from the Pacific, roughly seven miles from the water at 780 to 1,000 feet depending on the block, above the Green Valley fog line on Goldridge fine sandy loam over marine sandstone. About 55 acres carry vines; Littorai farms its section with exclusively organic materials.
Vines and Blocks
Chardonnay made the name: some 25 acres of Clone 4, the core planted in 1982, with the oldest Williams Selyem block dated 1980 on AxR1 and Littorai's Wente-selection rows from 1983. Twenty acres of Pinot Noir went in from 1996 in Pommard 4, 113, 115, Swan and Beringer selections with more Swan in 2000 and 2001, plus two acres of Syrah from 2002 in clones 174, 470 and a Jean-Louis Chave field selection.
The Wines
Heintz Chardonnay is long-hanging, cold-site fruit: lemon curd and wet stone, high acidity, and a track record of ageworthiness few California grower vineyards can match.