Howell Mountain

This is their base Cabernet.  It is purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, graphite, slight saw dust, vanilla and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  Concentrated.  On the palate, intense cassis, leather, earth, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is young but drinking very well but will improve.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would be classic with a steak.

This is a Petite Sirah.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has boysenberries, gravel, slight cedar, slight plums and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tight and took a couple of hours to open up.  Flavors of black raspberries with gravel and char.  Good finish.  This needs a few more years of good cellaring.  hold for five and drink for ten after that.  It will work well with grilled meats or fowl.  

This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain in Napa.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and complex with cassis, cedar, spice, slight chocolate, cigar box and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance and energy.  On the palate, this seems mature but just barely.  Layers of cassis, spice, slight chocolate and a lovely herbal note on the finish.  Good finish.  Really classic in profile. This should go another ten to fifteen years. Great on its own, this will work well with food as well.  A nice match with Prime Rib.  

This is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc from Howell Mountain in Napa.  Inky purple in color, ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, blueberries, tobacco, chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this is very concentrated.  It opens in the glass over time to show cassis, black cherries, and slight blueberries with tobacco, char and spice.  Long finish.  This needs a bit more time or air, but should drink well for the next twenty years.  Great on its own but a bit better with big food righ

Another great Thomas Rivers Brown cabernet.  This is their basic Cabernet which has unfortunately gone up in price recently.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, with nice minerality.  Medium to firm tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, this is concentrated with cassis, some black cherries, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is still youthful but drinking well.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this is in a great place to take to a steak house.  

This is a very accessible Zinfandel that is also excellent.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight bramble, sandalwood and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with spice and char.  This has nice depth and concentration.  Long finish.  Drink over the next ten years.  Great on its own, this will work well with a burger or other foods off the grill.  

This is a wine from the late Dennis Malbec.    Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, chocolate, cedar and spice.  Great texture.  Firm tannins.  Flavors of cassis with some graphite and char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should have another ten years at least.  Great drinking on its own, this would work well with Roasted Eggplant dishes (and of course, beef).  

I’ve long held the belief that it’s pretty hard to mess up Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain fruit. The vines there are simply exceptional. So in the very capable hands of Duckhorn, the fruit in this 2018 shines. It’s all Cabernet with 8% Merlot added. There’s a lovely elegance to this wine, a steadiness that combines all the elements, oak, fruit, wood and tannin together. Not one element outperforms the other. The soft fruit includes noticeable black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, mocha, huckleberry and the ever-present but limited vanilla and caramel.

The grapes sourced for the Cabernet is like a who’s who of exceptional areas: Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain, Calistoga – all definitive Cabernet growing areas. This wine offers rich and deep blackberry, black cherry, boysenberry with back notes of plum, macerated black currant, red raspberry and cocoa powder. Though the oak influence is evident  (aged 22 months in 82% new French oak) it is not overwhelming. This drinks beautifully - the kind of pure enjoyment you want in a Napa Cabernet. 663 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.5%

There’s a belief I have that if you mess up any fruit from Howell Mountain there’s something wrong with you. Duckhorn has consistently produced an extraordinary Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2017 is no exception. Comprised of all Cabernet with 10% Merlot, this is a softer version than in years past, these tannins are a little more mild, the acidity a little brighter, and the fruit opulent and rich. Black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberry, lead off and the fruit is a tad more expressive than in years past. It was aged 24 months, 18 of which were new French oak.