Wines from Howell Mountain
Elyse 2009 Black-Sears Vineyard Zinfandel (Howell Mountain)
- Editors' Choice
- $37
There’s a delicious approachability to this Zinfandel that makes it drinkable now despite having some formidable Howell Mountain tannins. In that, it calls to mind the wonderful 2008. The flavors are enormously concentrated, with notes of blackberry, black currant, cured meat, black pepper and baking spice, lending terrific complexity that changes in the glass with…
— S.H.
(2/1/2013)
Sbragia 2003 Rancho del Oso Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain)
- $75
Always decadently opulent in blackberry, currant and chocolate fudge, the ’03 seems softer than past vintages, and while it’s probably not an ager, it impresses now. It may come from Howell Mountain, but the tannins are as melted as butter on toast. The winemaker suggests steak barbecued in olive oil and rosemary, an assessment I would not argue with.
— S.H.
(5/1/2007)
Rutherford Grove 2004 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain)
- $65
This is a superior wine. This is big, flashy, dramatic, deeply flavored and ageable. Those legendary Howell Mountain tannins are firm, but can’t stop the cassis and mocha flavors from exploding on the palate. Good now, with decanting, and should hold for a good eight years with proper cellaring.
— S.H.
(12/1/2007)
Nickel & Nickel 2006 Vogt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $90
This densely structured wine is so dry and tannic the palate just puckers up into resistance. Buried deep down are massive and properly proportioned flavors of blackberries, black currants, dark unsweetened chocolate and smoky new oak. This intense 100% Cabernet should begin to blossom by 2012 and last for many years.
— S.H.
(3/1/2010)
Atlas Peak 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $86
At more than five years of age, this Cabernet remains very tannic. That gives it an astringency that stings the palate, but still, the core of blackberries, cherries and sweet currants shines through. There’s a good possibility this wine will age well for a very long time. Try after 2015, when it will be nine years old.
— S.H.
(12/31/2011)
Camiana 2008 Blue Hall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain)
- Online Exclusive
- $75
Camiana has been establishing a real track record with this bottling, and the 2008 is the best yet. It shows the intensity and purity of Howell Mountain fruit, bearing deep flavors of blackberries, blueberries, dark chocolate and currants, with big, firm tannins that are characteristic of the mountain. There’s also a softness and a femininity that make the wine…
— S.H.
(11/1/2012)
Moone-Tsai 2009 Hillside Blend Red (Howell Mountain)
- $85
Based on Merlot, like the 2008, this low-production wine is high in alcohol and warm in the mouth, with dry, smooth tannins and rich flavors of blackberry jam, cassis, anise, cocoa and pepper. Really flashy and opulent, it’s not a long-term ager, but it will provide pleasant drinking now and over the next six years or so.
— S.H.
(12/31/2012)
Beringer 1996 Bancroft Ranch Merlot (Howell Mountain)
- $75
Complex, but tight and brooding. Dark earth, black plum, licorice, leather and smoke in the nose. Deep, full black-cherry and coffee flavors, but very subdued now. Emphasis on structure and intensity. Not an obvious wine, nor for cur-rent enjoyment, but a definite keeper. Needs 3 to 5 years.
— W.E.
(3/1/2000)
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