Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Zinfandel is a beautiful, wild, exotic expression of this variety. Giving up lots of wild strawberry, orange blossom, sandalwood, and white pepper notes, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, supple, elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's going to keep for a solid decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Zinfandel is a treat, marked by scents of crushed stone, ripe, brambly fruit and hints of chocolate. It's full-bodied, lush in texture and just downright fun to drink, with hints of peppery spice and alcoholic warmth on the finish. Enjoy it on the young side. Best After 2022
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Wine Spectator
A bold and ripe style of Zinfandel that wins you over with generosity and a supple structure. Overflows with black cherry, toasty baking spices, orange peel and white pepper flavors. Drink now
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James Suckling
Aromas of plums and sweet cherries with flowers and tile. Candied fruits. Burnt orange. Full-bodied, juicy flavors with dried fruit. Very typical for Zin. Drink now.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
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.