Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
One of the best red wines ever from the Howell Mountain AVA, the 2013 Robert Craig Black Sears Vineyard Zinfandel strikes with a boldness of black fruit and black peppercorns. The wine shows some fine dried savory notes and its complexity builds to the finish. Drinks well now. (Tasted: August 4, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
This grows on an east-facing slope at the top of Howell Mountain, the elevation reaching 2,400 feet. The fruit doesn’t have far to go to get to Robert Craig’s winery, which is just down the road along the same ridge. It arrives with the freshness of its fruit intact, the bright blueberry and purple fruit captured in this zin, along with a resinous character. This is rich and heady, the flavors lasting on that pine resin note, needing time to integrate. (500 cases)
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.