2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is dark, powerful and brooding, with huge, coarse tannins that are a signature of low-grade taint that was such a challenge on Howell Mountain in 2018. Time in the glass brings out copious dark fruit, chocolate, dried herbs and game. Today, smoke taint is manifested more in texture than in the aromas and flavors, which are clean. This is certainly a better showing than a year ago, but the 2018 is still tainted, in my view. I offer my carefully considered views not so much as a critique but rather as a data point in time for this wine.