Winemaker Notes
As the only Howell Mountain Zin in the fall lineup, the Cedarman always stands out. Dark purple and inky on the nose, with high-toned white pepper and lots of ripe brambly fruits. Palate is dense, packed with more spice and dark plums, graphite, roasted meats, and dusty earth. With its signature Howell Mountain texture, tannin, and long finish, the Cedarman is an ideal cold weather wine. Decant it to enjoy the wine’s evolution over the course of an evening.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Zinfandel Cedarman is a blend of fruit from the Rattlesnake Ridge and Dragon vineyards and contains about 18% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black in color, it has a very dark, broody nose with dried violets, wild blackberries and briary fruits plus turned earth and nutmeg spice hints. Full-bodied, big and rich in the mouth with tons of lush black fruits and spicy layers, it's framed by very firm, fine-grained tannins and just enough freshness to lift the warm, spice-laced finish.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Spectator
Densely structured, with a polished exterior, offering deep blackberry, bitter chocolate and licorice flavors that expand toward broad-shouldered tannins. Drink now through 2029.
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.