Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This up and coming superstar has fashioned an outstanding 1994 and an outrageously rich, sumptuous 1993. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard (which has been bottled and will be released in 1996) should turn out to be one of the most exceptional wines of the vintage. The color is an opaque purple. The nose offers up cassis, blueberry, black-raspberry, and toasty scents, followed by gorgeously rich, sweet (from extract, not sugar) flavors, full body, gobs of glycerin, and wonderfully ripe tannin in the intense finish that must last for 40+ seconds. It is an exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon that will be approachable upon release; it will age for 20+ years. It is a tour de force in wine-making. It should come as no surprise that the genius behind these wines is Helen Turley. Readers are advised to get on the winery's mailing list in order to secure some of these extremely limited production wines, which are largely sold via the winery's mailing list.
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Wine Spectator
Ultrarich, dark and chocolaty, with layers of blackberry, mocha, dill, anise and spice. Sharply focused, developing a silky texture, with a long, rich, detailed aftertaste. Right now the tannins give depth and structure.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.