Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A brilliant 2008 Zinfandel from Howell Mountain exhibits abundant notes of raspberries, briery mountain fruit and spice intermixed with good minerality and a medium to full-bodied, pure, long finish. Outpost has done a terrific job from this site, the old Lamborn Family Vineyard.
Proprietors Kathy and Frank Dotzler along with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown have quickly pushed this estate high on Howell Mountain to one of the leaders of that appellation. These wines all possess considerable character and the 2008s have certainly lived up to my forecast from last year, especially the Cabernets, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel.
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Wine Spectator
Dense and tightly wound, with minty black currant aromas and firm, complex flavors of dark plum, licorice and loam wrapped in tight tannins. Needs time. Best from 2012 through 2016. 950 cases made.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.