2013 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting Notes
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is fascinating to taste next to the 2010, as the wines share huge structure and depth. The 2013 is perhaps just a touch less texturally plush than the 2010, but it has plenty of richness on its own. Espresso, inky dark fruit, gravel, sage and menthol stain the palate. Beams of supporting tannin and brisk acids shape the long, sustained finish. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
More dense and powerful than the 2012, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is deep purple/plum-hued and has an incredible bouquet of darker, currant-like fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, crushed stone, truffle, and earth. It needs plenty of air to show at its best and is full-bodied on the palate, with ripe, building tannins, serious mid-palate density, and a great finish. You could put this in a blind lineup of First Growth Bordeaux and it would hold its own. It's superb today, with enough fat and richness to buffer its structure, but it has another 30 years of longevity as well.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a little closed at this stage, offering glimpses at fresh blackcurrants, blackberry pie and crushed black plums with nuances of cedar chest, underbrush, black truffles, charcuterie and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, it packs in the muscular fruit, with very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with many expressive earth layers.
The blue-fruit and floral character are phenomenal here with hints of lavender and violets in addition to walnuts. Full-bodied, yet tight and reserved with extremely polished fruit and chewy tannins. Love the austerity. Tension. Drink in 2020.