"Our Howell Mountain 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is finally emerging from its shell as it prepares to journey to our members homes in the coming weeks. The vibrant, primary mass of dark fruits in the nose and mouth have pulled back to reveal the class and nuance that make this wine one of the Napa Valley’s very best reds each year. Crushed red rocks, dark thorny vine fruits, cassis and mountain wildflowers all pour from the glass. It’s hard to believe that this is the same wine I tasted six months ago. The minuscule yields of nearly one ton per acre on our Howell Mountain Estate and Candlestick Ridge vineyards led to historic skin-to-juice ratios that provided wines of exceptional color and depth, even by Howell Mountain standards.
"Despite the size and the towering tannin structure, our Howell Mountain Cabernet retains its nerve, energy and lift. This is not an overripe clodhopper, rather it’s a wine that sings a Bordeaux song. If Bordeaux had mountains composed of volcanic soils that is. Enjoy this rarity with a good decant at a cool temperature or let it sleep peacefully for as long as you can wait in the cellar. Our 2021 Howell Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is one for the ages."
VINEYARDS: Candlestick Ridge Estate Vineyard, Winery Estate Vineyard
APPELLATION: Howell Mountain
COMPOSITION: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 4% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
CASES PRODUCED: 1,415
WINERY ESTATE VINEYARD, HOWELL MOUNTAIN
The nine-acre Winery Estate Vineyard continues to demand constant attention – with huge variation in soils and microclimates. The yields are on average a meager 1.8 tons to the acre, but the fruit possesses a rare power and expression of site. Soils are especially shallow, even for Howell Mountain, and the vines must work through the rocky soils to seek moisture.
CANDLESTICK RIDGE ESTATE VINEYARD, HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Just down the road, Candlestick Ridge is the northernmost vineyard in the Howell Mountain AVA and is slightly warmer than the summit ridge where the Winery Estate vineyard lies. Candlestick is influenced by warm air from Pope Valley to the east and – at its slightly lower elevation – it is protected from the constant wind that hits the ridge line. The big subsurface boulders were removed during the replanting, leaving thin tufa soil on top of a rocky volcanic bedrock.
Upon release, the vibrant, primary mass of dark fruits in the nose and mouth have pulled back to reveal the class and nuance that make this wine one of the Napa Valley’s very best reds each year. Crushed red rocks, dark thorny vine fruits, cassis and mountain wildflowers all pour from the glass.
"The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain) is another fabulous wine in this range. Inky dark fruit, lavender, wild flowers, jasmine, spice, crème de cassis and pencil shavings are all beautifully delineated. This deep, potent Howell Mountain Cabernet delivers the goods."
-Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2023
