Dunn - Cabernet Howell Mountain 2014 (750ml)

Randy Dunn purchased the initial land for Dunn Vineyards in 1979 with optimistic hopes of crafting fine wines from Howell Mountain. His hopes were surpassed as Dunn Vineyards is looked to as an example of terroir driven wines for the entire Napa Valley. Dunn takes great pride in his mountain fruit and tries to keep the alcohol of his wines close 13% asserting this lower level allows the flavors of the land to come through. Their small hillside vineyards dotting Howell Mountain are balanced with the natural vegetation and vineyards. This family run operation owns a total of 200 acres with 35 planted of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon and produces about 5000 cases annually.

Each vintage possesses a remarkable balance of fruit and tannins that enables each wine to be laid down for 15 years or more. These wines are tough to get a hold of because the winery is not listed on any of the Napa tourist maps and is closed to the public, so Benchmark Wine Group is extremely thrilled to offer you such a vast selection!

Inky blue/purplish fruit, graphite, lavender, grilled herbs and smoke run through the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain). The 2014 has all the Dunn signatures in its flavor profile, but in the mid-weight style of the year. This is an especially restrained, young wine for Dunn with far less of the tannic heft that readers familiar with these wines are likely to expect.

This gets your attention quickly, with nose-flaring savory and bay aromas pulling you in, backed by a mouthwatering black core of currant, tar, dried anise, violet and chestnut notes brimming with energy. There's a rugged edge, but the bolt of iron underscoring it all provides for a vibrant, lengthy finish that will easily allow this wine to stay intact as it mellows (somewhat) over time. A true mountain Cab. -- Blind 2014 California Cabernet retrospective (June 2024). Drink now through 2045. 3,923 cases made.

Starting to show its true nature, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is nearing drinkability. Mint and thyme join cassis and cherry on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is beautifully streamlined and silky, sculpted into a long, gently tannic finish. Randy Dunn has never been shy about the occasional need to reduce alcohol levels in Napa Cabernets and removed a full 1% alcohol from this wine, yet it still sings and looks to have a long life ahead of it. 

 

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is deep and plush. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, cloves, incense, graphite, leather and licorice rush from the glass. Readers will find a polished Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with striking mid-palate creaminess and plenty of Howell Mountain structure to wrap it all together. Some recent bottles have shown traces of low-level Brettanomyces that might bother readers who are especially sensitive. (AG)