Winemaker Notes
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a towering majestic wine. Rich, powerful and yet massively tannic, the 2013 possesses a stunning combination of super-ripe fruit, bright acids and plenty of supporting structure. In the early going, the Howell Mountain is a bit reticent, especially next to the Trailer, but after several hours, the vibrancy of the Howell Mountain bottling dazzles.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The blue-fruit and floral character are phenomenal here with hints of lavender and violets in addition to walnuts. Full-bodied, yet tight and reserved with extremely polished fruit and chewy tannins. Love the austerity. Tension. Drink in 2020.
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Decanter
Aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, rich earth, spice and liquorice are followed by a palate of striking persistence and structural amplitude. In 2013 this is typically large-scaled, fresh and built for the long haul, but Mike Dunn’s thoughtful changes to the estate’s barrel programme have resulted in more refined tannins. Brettanomyces issues that plagued the Dunn wines about 15 years ago also seem long gone, so nothing should compromise their lovely evolution in the cellar
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Jeb Dunnuck
More dense and powerful than the 2012, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is deep purple/plum-hued and has an incredible bouquet of darker, currant-like fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, crushed stone, truffle, and earth. It needs plenty of air to show at its best and is full-bodied on the palate, with ripe, building tannins, serious mid-palate density, and a great finish. You could put this in a blind lineup of First Growth Bordeaux and it would hold its own. It's superb today, with enough fat and richness to buffer its structure, but it has another 30 years of longevity as well. Rating:96+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a little closed at this stage, offering glimpses at fresh blackcurrants, blackberry pie and crushed black plums with nuances of cedar chest, underbrush, black truffles, charcuterie and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, it packs in the muscular fruit, with very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with many expressive earth layers.
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Wine Spectator
A rustic, hearty style that’s not shy about extraction, density or oak, offering a che1wy mouthful of graphite- and lead pencil–shaded dark berry flavors. On the finish, this shows potential, delivering persistence despite the extracted tannins. Best from 2018 through 2030.
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.