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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 135 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Rrhodez on 11/7/2023 & rated 90 points: Decent but all I got was green pepper to a fault. Not excited to have again. A least favorite of the night. (2343 views) | | | Tasted by Crunge on 10/7/2023 & rated 91 points: Vertical of the 2007-2009. Surprisingly, all five tasters agreed on the order: 2008 first, 2007 second, 2009 third.
2009
Aromas of wet stone and raspberry. Cola with mild raspberry and cherry. Dry, a touch sour. Medium- flavor at opening, opening up to medium later. Better over time, so decant 30-60 minutes if opening now. 91
2008
Dusty aroma, a touch of earth. A hint of sour cherry on the nose. More body and fruit than the 2007 or 2009. Medium+ body, mouth-coating raspberries and plum with a touch of cocoa. 94+
2007
Funk on the nose, reminding me of an old-world wine. Raspberry cola, with a hint of minerality. Did not add weight with air, but fruit came forward, as did the funk on the nose. 92 (2239 views) | | | Tasted by jimyeni on 9/23/2023 & rated 92 points: Lighter in body, a bit of minerality coming through. Quite nice with food (2202 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyDelMar on 8/19/2023 & rated 97 points: This wine takes me back to the olden days of great CA Cabs that were reasonably priced. Paid $79 for this but now lamenting the ridiculous price increases. Dunn HM needs 14-15 years to show its brilliance. Randy Dunn is an amazing wine maker. Other HM Producers are just posers now that will never achieve the status of this wine. The right place at the right time for my wife’s 66th BDay with Kagoshima A5 Wagyu & Dungeness Crab Cakes. Still this is one of the best wines I’ve ever had. (2623 views) | | | Tasted by Troon on 8/18/2023 & rated 92 points: I believe this is peaking. The tannins were quickly replaced with soft red fruit. The finish didn’t go on for as long as I expected. It is an excellent wine, but I see it as in its prime right now. (2186 views) | | | Tasted by z747gdgh45 on 7/3/2023 & rated 94 points: Intense nose and color. Dark red fruit, bell pepper, blackberry, liquorice, vanilla, eucalyptus, olive branches, black pepper. Well balanced, medium tannins and acidity. great structure. (1857 views) | | | Tasted by jceretti on 3/25/2023 & rated 96 points: Stunning. Black earth, leather, hint of graphite on the nose. Red fruit, meaty on the palate with a silky finish. Drinking perfectly after a 2 hour decant.
Great legs and colour , many yrs left. (2424 views) | | | Tasted by TexasBob on 2/10/2023 & rated 95 points: Brilliant deep and dark cloudy ruby. Nose of Oolong Tea, a touch of sage, and pomegranate juice. Soft red fruits with raspberries dominating. Velvety texture. Needs at least 90 minutes of decanting. Delicious. (2439 views) | | | Tasted by Grenik on 4/11/2022 & rated 95 points: Still improving and barely old enough to consider drinking. Sweet blueberry everywhere; nose, palate, and finish. The nose also has some pepper spice. The palate is developing earth and mineral notes that really support the dense ball of fruit that is softening and extending throughout the taste. Tannins are still firm and the wine is not soft. No rush on these. (3571 views) | | | Tasted by civilmatt on 3/22/2022 & rated 95 points: Drinking beautifully, let sit open for 2 hours and served with grilled tri-tip. (3452 views) | | | Tasted by Jon Ruyle on 12/25/2021 & rated 96 points: Such a wonderful Christmas wine! Mountain char and tons of minerals, all with great balance . Perfect with prime rib and Yorkshire pudding ! (3447 views) | | | Tasted by doug374 on 12/4/2021 & rated 93 points: A well made Cab made with flavors of dark fruits-plum, cherries and blackberries, additional notes of vanilla and forest floor. Very smooth on the palate but still muscular rather than silky. Good now but expect more time will evolve the wine further. (3242 views) | | | Tasted by Life At Your Leisure 🍷 on 11/12/2021 & rated 95 points: Opaque purple color turning violet at rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe dark red and dark blue berries with hints of incense and dried potpourri. The palate is full bodied with a velvety texture and medium acidity that balances the ripe blueberry and dark red cherry. There’s a solid mid palate that carries secondary flavors of cola and espresso notes from the toasted oak that lead to a long, spicy, mentholated finish. This is an excellent Cab that’s drinking well now until 2034. (3144 views) | | | Tasted by mojotojo on 12/25/2020 & rated 94 points: A gorgeous, seamless Dunn Howell Mountain cab. The wine is beginning to hit its stride. A knockout nose of cassis, blueberries, lead pencil, minerals and saddle leather, with a strong backbone of minerals. Some mocha wafting about as well. Lush and luxurious, it has a beautiful mouthfeel. More red and blue berry flavors, cedar, that saddle-leather thing again and tannins, silky velvety tannins. The finish goes on for at least a minute with no heat. Typical Dunn, the alcohol is 13.9%. This wine is nowhere near it's peak and it has another 2 decades, or more, of life left in it. But not need to wait - it's lip-smacking delicious right now. (4002 views) | | | Tasted by Wino from Michigan on 7/16/2020 & rated 91 points: Good. It is not great. Surprised not up to my normal Dunn standards. Light on back end medium black fruit (4464 views) | | | Tasted by Geaux Tigers on 6/27/2020 & rated 93 points: PnP and ready from the start, though improved slightly over the 30 min the bottle was open. Typical Dunn profile, delivers consistently year over year. Not flashy but just simply delicious. My 3rd place out of 4, groups 2nd place. (4249 views) | | | Tasted by rwstorer on 5/17/2020 & rated 94 points: - Crimsom color and aromas of cedar. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Popped, aerated, poured. Beautiful wine with flavors sour Black cherry and a slight dark chocolate. Really went well with New York steak. (3997 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 5/9/2020 & rated 94 points: Quite impressive at 10+ years, still has some youthful characteristics, but is definitely in a developmental phase. Deep ruby color, full body texture, medium alcohol. Decanted and enjoyed with a chargrilled ribeye, sautéed mushrooms and grilled Brussels Sprouts. Deep, rich, structured, and showing some evolving complexity. Fragrant aromas and bold flavors of purple flowers, cassis, blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, dark chocolate, oak spice and rocky, sour black earth, underscored with grainy tannins and a noticeable acidic backbone. Big, chewy mouthfeel but ends long and strong. Balanced, lengthy, deep, and showing complexity. Certainly you can drink this now, but I can cellar and improve for another 5-10 years (3834 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 4/30/2020 & rated 95 points: This is everything I did not expect a Dunn to be at this point in time: ripe, almost juicy, with a finish that is integrated and silky. No, you wouldn’t confuse this for a modern wine, mostly because of its lack of sweetness and viscosity. But gosh this is good, and it makes me believe the people who say - “just wait” - when it comes to Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet.
Ruby red in color and medium in body, the wine offers compelling aromas of cherry tart, eucalyptus, burnt embers, and warm spices. Flavors of macerated blueberry, dried strawberry, bay leaf, and fresh leather, with a finish that carries integrated tannins and pleasant lift (read: acidity, but not searing acidity). 13.9% alcohol. Becomes more grainy after the two-hour mark.
This had far more energy and precision (and similar ripeness) to a 2010 Arkenstone tasted at the same time. I was under the impression that Dunn wines aged slower than this, but - whatever the reason - this is delicious now, with the intensity and balance to age for many more years. (4944 views) | | | Tasted by punter on 4/17/2020 & rated 88 points: 60 min decant, beautiful dark purple color, and very feint nose from pour through drinking. Forward, ripe, underwhelming monolith of dark fruits and trace blueberry absent tannin and acidity. We all found this overly soft and sweet jammy-juice unidimensional. Drink-up in 3-4 years if this is your style, trade away if not. (2777 views) | | | Tasted by Wino from Michigan on 3/13/2020 & rated 94 points: This wine was drinking exceptional tonight. Dark fruits, strong mineral finish with charcoal like hints on the nose. All the best parts of Dunn, (2680 views) | | | Tasted by Grenik on 2/23/2020 & rated 94 points: A classic Dunn style. Big blue fruit, lots of structure, and a long lingering finish. The palate is cool blue with just a hint of tobacco, cedar, and other emerging secondary flavors. It feels balanced, but still very strong and intense. It should mellow more over the next 15 years and be quite special. (2741 views) | | | Tasted by madalyn on 12/10/2019 & rated 93 points: yes it is young but very good (3129 views) | | | Tasted by nkirsch on 9/19/2019 & rated 93 points: Delicious. Drank immediately after opening and the smooth fruit and nice finish was evident. Got better as the night went on. (3485 views) | | | Tasted by firstgrowth on 8/17/2019 & rated 92 points: Watching Dodgers v Braves, so good. Prob drank wine too quickly, still tight! Next time will wait on the decanter for another hour. (3304 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, The 2009 Napa Valley Cabernets at Age 10 (Jul 2019) (7/1/2019)
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (howell Mountain) Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain: 1979–2014 (Aug 2018) (8/1/2018)
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By William Kelley
Decanter, Dunn Vertical (6/30/2016)
(Dunn Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (7/25/2014)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Keystone Reviews Migration 2 (3/17/2014)
(Dunn Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (11/23/2013)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (11/21/2013)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (11/20/2013)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2013, IWC Issue #168
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: An Epic Vintage (Dec 2012)
(Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Howell Mountain) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Decanter and WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Dunn Vineyards Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Howell Mountain Howell Mountain |
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