2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

(14.5% alcohol; from a very late harvest that ended on November 2, with the fruit coming in at the lowest Brix levels to date): Bright red-ruby. Cooler, rather high-pitched aromas of dark berries, licorice and mint come across as only moderately ripe. A lighter style of Howell Mountain Cabernet with enticing floral and savory mineral high notes but also an herbal green edge throughout. With modest sweetness and depth, the tannins come across as a bit dusty. Capiaux backblended about 2% from vintage 2012 but this wine is still short on texture and volume.

(blended with 5% merlot, 5% St. Macaire, 4% malbec and 2% petit verdot; from vines planted at 1,800 feet; aged in 75% new oak): Full ruby-red. Aromas of blueberry, blackberry, creosote and new oak, lifted by a violet topnote. Spicy and penetrating, with peppery acidity giving shape and grip to the flavors of dark berries, black cherry, licorice, bitter chocolate and pine resin. Nicely ripe, savory wine with slightly dry tannins that call for a few years of patience. Winemaker Sean Capiaux told me that minimal acidification was needed in 2011 and that he added back about 2% of 2012 wine. He left the cabernet franc and carmenere out of the blend.

Betty O’Shaughnessy and her winemaker, Sean Capiaux, have fashioned a 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (82% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot) that is soft, round, juicy and succulent. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a wine with velvety tannins, and lots of mulberry, blueberry and black raspberry fruit intermixed with a hint of wet rocks. This delicious, fruit-forward, supple-textured 2011 can be consumed over the next decade. I tasted two Cabernet Sauvignons from O’Shaughnessy, one of my favorite under-the-radar Napa estates. Some terrific wines have been produced (the 2007s and 2008s for example), and these two 2011s performed well. Tel. (707) 965-2898