Alcohol: 13.9%
Grape(s): 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Localization: Napa Valley, California, USA
Tasting Notes: Fresh ripe cassis, blackberry and plum fruit flavors course through, carried by tar and apple wood notes that are well-embedded, giving this a muscular but sleek feel. Features a great tug of dark earth and licorice snap on the palate-staining finish.
Notes: This signature wine contains only fruit farmed on Howell Mountain. The wine comes in a distinctive bottle that is hand dipped in red wax. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. aged 32 months in 100% new French oak.
97 Points - Vinous: The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is sure to make Dunn fans happy. Powerful and ample, it marries the natural intensity of the year with the savoriness that makes Howell Mountain Cabernets so distinctive. Dark blue/purplish fruit, graphite, spice, leather, dried herbs and lavender imbue the 2017 with striking intensity and character. I can't wait to see how it ages. The 2017 is a positively stunning edition of the Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Domain: Led by Bill Smith, Randy and a few other winemakers and grape growers proposed and defined the distinctive Howell Mountain AVA. The AVA’s boundary starts at an elevation of 1400’ so even when it is cool and foggy on the valley floor, it is sunny and breezy up on the mountain. Our wine epitomizes the Howell Mountain Cabernet: deep concentration, bold, massive, ultra rich and elegant.
Conservation is a priority today. Randy and Lori’s first involvement was in 2004. They gifted the development rights for their Sentinel Hill property, to the Napa Land Trust. The property is 64 acres of forested hillside overlooking the town of Angwin, up on Howell Mountain. The second was the Dunn’s gift of $5 million, the largest donation in the history of the Land Trust to help purchase the Wildlake Ranch a 3000-acre property up on the mountain.
There is a sense of urgency in the Napa Valley to preserve the natural landscape. The influx of big money coming into the area puts tremendous pressure on the wild lands above the valley floor, there is a constant tension between preservation and projects to clear land and plant vineyards.
