Winemaker Notes
The wine is dense, deep and powerful in the tradition of Howell Mountain’s best offerings. This small-lot, single vineyard offering is meant for collectors seeking a precise expression of unique terroir.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This carries a very toasty and spicy edge that makes for a modern impression on the nose with brightly ripe blue fruit as the central theme. The palate has a very polished, fresh and energetic feel with ripe blackberry and blueberry flavors holding long and fresh. A blend of 65 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 30 per cent merlot and five per cent malbec. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 The Stick is blended of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals notes of chargrill, tapenade, rubber, wood smoke and scorched earth with a core of crème de cassis, stewed plums and herbs. Medium to full-bodied and packed with fruit, it is firm and chewy with loads of savory layers coming through on the finish.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.