2014 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
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.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a darker, dense, meaty wine offering lots of darker currant fruits, chocolate, cedar pencil, truffly earth, and smoked tobacco on the nose. This all carries to a full-bodied, round, expansive Cabernet that reminds me of a top 2009 Médoc with its supple, sweet tannins, beautiful mid-palate density, and outstanding length. It opens up with air and now, at age 8, offers considerable pleasure, yet will continue gaining complexity and nuance over the coming 4-6 years, and have a lengthy prime drink window of upwards of two decades.
Dark ruby. Captivating violet lift to the aromas and flavors of cassis, kirsch , licorice and mocha. Plush and fine-grained; extremely deep in the middle palate but this extremely rich wine impresses as much for its finesse as for its sheer density and power. Finishes with wonderfully harmonious tannins and great slow-mounting length. Owing to its sheer density and baby fat, the wine is edge-free from the start, but it's likely to evolve at a snail's pace and last for decades. (13.9% alcohol)