Winemaker Notes
Aromas of blackberry and raspberry compote, vanilla bean, boysenberry kirsch and tobacco leaf all give way to a well-balanced and concentrated zinfandel for the 2022 vintage. Deep and brilliant color with garnet edges in the glass, the tannins are well polished and sweet yet provide a long, lingering finish that is already hard-to-resist.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Matured in only about one-third new French oak, Outpost's 2022 Zinfandel doesn't really show much wood on the nose, which is all ripe cherries, berries and stone fruit, with only modest briary notions. In the mouth, the wine is full-bodied and supple, with a long, mouthwatering finish tinged with mocha.
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James Suckling
So warm, ripe and mouth-filling, offering potent alcoholic strength and opulent dried fruit flavors. The wine is super fruity, with blackberries, dried blueberries and dark plums on a full, broad body with only light tannins. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Red, blue, and black fruits, violets, candied orange, and some chocolate notes all emerge from the 2022 Zinfandel, a juicy, medium to full-bodied, round, successful 2022 that has sweet tannins and a great finish.
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.