Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Quella is a candidate for perfection. From the lower foothills of Pritchard Hill, it offers up notes of charcoal, graphite, espresso and copious quantities of blueberry and black raspberry liqueur, along with distinctive minerality, a full-bodied mouthfeel, moderately high tannins, gorgeous richness and a long, moderately tannic finish. Forget it for five years and drink it over the following three decades.
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James Suckling
This is very chewy and powerful with a salty, savory character. Full body with incredible depth of fruit, intensity and richness. Austere. Very serious. Better after 2017.
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Wine Spectator
A deceptively subtle, understated style that holds its flavors tight to the vest. Though restrained, this nonetheless offers a lot of everything in smaller doses. Dark berry, dark chocolate, dried herb and savory underbrush notes all add up to something special. Patience required. Best from 2015 through 2028.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of this part of Napa’s rugged, eastern hills, but Zinfandel was responsible for giving the Howell Mountain growing area its original fame in the late 1800s.
Winemaking in Howell Mountain was abandoned during Prohibition, and wasn’t reawakened until the arrival of Randy Dunn, a talented winemaker famous for the success of Caymus in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early eighties, he set his sights on the Napa hills and subsequently astonished the wine world with a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Shortly thereafter Howell Mountain became officially recognized as the first sub-region of Napa Valley (1983).
With vineyards at 1,400 to 2,000 feet in elevation, they predominantly sit above the fog line but the days in Howell Mountain remain cooler than those in the heart of the valley, giving the grapes a bit more time on the vine.
The Howell Mountain AVA includes 1,000 acres of vineyards interspersed by forestlands in the Vaca Mountains. The soils, shallow and infertile with good drainage, are volcanic ash and red clay and produce highly concentrated berries with thick skins. The resulting wines are full of structure and potential to age.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah thrive in this sub-appellation, as well as its founding variety, Zinfandel.