2007 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2007 Howell Mountain is one of the most approachable, sexy wines I’ve tasted from this estate. Still ruby/purple color with beautiful notes of blue fruits, forest floor, Asian spices, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with a forward, opulent texture and ripe, polished tannins. The tannic austerity this estate is known for is certainly not present, yet it’s fleshy, beautifully concentrated, and has an awesome finish. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years.

Bright, dark red with ruby tones. Briary dark berries, bitter chocolate, cocoa powder and minerals on the nose, lifted by a violet quality. Silky, fine-grained and highly concentrated, in a distinctly dark style; the wine's bulletproof fruit is still youthfully withdrawn and a bit medicinal. The unflagging finish is classic and dry, featuring tannins that are firm but essentially sweet and showing subtle black fruit and floral flavors that go on and on. Still a bit withdrawn and nowhere near its peak, this wine has a great future. Of the more recent Dunn vintages, this wine displays a distinctly Old World medicinal quality and spine.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is unlike any wine I have ever tasted from Dunn. Layer after layer of flavor saturates the palate in this opulent, full-throttle Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 possesses dazzling textural richness, depth and sheer intensity. Purists may prefer more structured vintages, but for a producer known for such slow maturing wines, the 2007 is a huge pleasure to taste today. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037. I tasted a large number of wines with Randy Dunn this year. These are some of the most powerful, age worthy Cabernets being made in Napa Valley today. Dunn is very much an iconoclast who follows his own convictions. Picking is a bit earlier here than elsewhere throughout the valley. Dunn isn’t too concerned if stems occasionally make it into the fermenter. A fervent advocate of lower-alcohol wines, Dunn makes no apologies for removing alcohol from his wines if they come in above 14%. Personally, that strikes me as a totally unnecessary intervention, but it’s hard to argue with the quality of what is in the bottle, and ultimately that is what counts most. The Napa Valley bottling includes purchased fruit from the valley floor and is typically a slightly more accessible wine, while the Howell Mountain is a much tougher wine that typically demands 20 years to enter its early peak. These Cabernets are for the patient, but make no mistake about it, in top vintages the Howell Mountain is one of the great wines, not just of California, but of the world. Readers who want to explore these wines without waiting several decades may want to start with the 2005 or 2007 Napa Valley bottlings, both of which are somewhat accessible at this stage. Tel. (707) 965-3642