2000 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Bright, saturated ruby. Aromas of cassis, leather and tobacco, with a whiff of bandaid. As juicy as the Napa bottling but showing stronger fruit notes of cassis and bitter cherry, even a sweet/sour note of pomegranate. Finishes with good length. (A first sample of this wine, however, was much greener and less clean. ) Neither of these wines are up to the quality of the samples I tasted from barrel last winter.

Telltale aromas of violets, blackberries, blueberries, and crushed stones are apparent in this medium to full-bodied, slightly lean 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. Tasty and expressive, it needs 3-4 years of cellaring, and should drink well for a decade. An interesting point of trivia is that Randy Dunn’s production of approximately 4,000 cases of Napa and Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon per year has not changed since the winery’s inception ... somewhat refreshing in view of the American cultural tendency to think that “bigger is better.” Tel. (707) 965-3642; Fax (707) 965-3805