Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Howell Mountain cabernets are often noted for the power of their tannins. This one shares that power: Grown on red volcanic soils at the estate vineyard adjacent to Robert Craig's Winery - the west face of a ridge top closing in on 2,300 feet - it builds intensity out of dark fruit tones and the black spice of its tannins. At first, those tannins feel luxurious, richly layered with cedar and cool forest scents. Their complexity gains with air, as does the wine's refinement, subsuming power into tremendous length of flavor. It brings on a scent memory of camping in the woods - a cabernet that excites the senses, structured to develop for years in the bottle.
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Wine Enthusiast
An awesome Cabernet, as deep and dramatic as they come. It shows the incredibly concentrated blackberry and cassis fruit of Howell Mountain, along with firm tannins. Lots of new oak provides powerful notes of toast and caramel, but the wine is so big it easily handles the barrel influence. This needs time, and will begin to mellow by 2018 and glide through its changes for many years beyond.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.