Regular dinner group (@ My place): In the bouquet dark berries, sweet spices, pleasant vanilla and in fact still surprisingly youthful. On the palate juicy dark berries, good acidity and still round tannin with a beautiful and firm bite. This wine still has a future of several years.
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Mid-Aged Zinfandel and Cali Cab Dinner (Casa Garard - Northfield IL): Lots here... bold black fruit, firm tannins, meaty character, just not quite perfectly harmonious to me, so not as balanced as I'd consider ideal. Still, easy to enjoy. Not certain if/ how/ when this will reach its full potential.
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Chez Garard older Zinfandels and Cali Cabs: Fantastic btl. Pristine condition and our sons birth year. Deep and rich Cab fruit. Brief decant. For an off vintage Randy makes great wines that age. Drink
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Drank over three days. Earth, soil, manure on the nose. Faded blackberry, barnyard funk. With no decant, smelled and tasted extremely earthy. Funk blew off with some air, revealing a medium-bodied, peppery, delightful wine.
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Brick edges, complex nose with forward cedar notes, tobacco box, backed up by dark currants, well integrated tannins, good finish, still excellent, but starting to show it's age
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dark ruby red; nose of red cherries, red plums, some complex spice; very balanced palate, good fruit and tannin balance; great Cabernet character without excessive tannin's; med long finish, a beautiful Cabernet at it's peak.
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Blind Bordeaux vs Cali Cab (Bobby Van's): Blind. Probably my wotn. so elegant. definitely California but had such nice feminine qualities. Fruit is in an excellent place. Drink em if you got them. Nicely stored bottle.
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Against a '99 Togni, and a '96 Togni. This came in 2nd place just under the Togni 1996. Just a schoshe shyer than the '96. Finally mature. I think I have one left, but if i don't this was an excellent bottle to go out on. Delicious all the way. Prime NY Strip butter basted. WOW. Superb pairing, superb wine.
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fantastic wine. A very satisfying dunn that is more on the rustic side. The tannic profile is fine, grainy and present but in great balance with the fruit and acid. One of those eye opening experiences that reminds you that Dunn is really worth collecting for the long term. The wine is in a good place to drink now but there is no rush. can still plateau for 5 yrs more most likely.
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Acker Merrall & Condit Bordeaux vs. California Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel): Tasted blind next to the '89 Lynch Bages. While I give a slight edge to the Lynch, this was an amazing wine. Additionally, I was not able to pick this out as being a California wine. This is a great ringer at a Bordeaux tasting. Next to the Lynch, it was a bit more rustic in style, which is typical of Randy Dunn's wine making style and Howell Mtn. Delicious!
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We decanted the wine one hour before serving. The cork crumbled while opening. The nose of was of muted berry herbs and alcohol This wasn’t a good year for most Cabernets, but I was hoping that up on Howell Mountain things fared better after reading others reviews. After tasting the wine its evident that our bottle was past what I have to assume was it’s prime. The faded fruit leaves some bitterness and acidity on the finish that unbalances the wine. There’s still some Cabernet flavor that comes out with the modern Italian food we had with it. Overall, a dying bottle of wine.
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A super middle neck bottle decanted briefly then drank over the next two hours alongside a Ch. Pichone Lalande Comtesse 1979. Opaque purple-red core just moving to transparency on the edges of the glass. Nose is absolutely gorgeous! - a bit Burgundian in perfume then earth, very concentrated and deep pastilled redcurrant fruit, new leather shoes...endlessly sniffable and very French old world in character. Palate is beautifully rounded yet with a still quite tannic core but no alcohol and lovely confit black and red fruits combined with a strong 'terroir' statement of dried gulley rocks. Great mounting resonance and reverberance inside the head on the finish. A fresh pour between the two of us reinvigorated the fruit and made it more expressive....it got younger and richer with extended time in the glass. A really super wine and has 5-10 years to improve further.
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The second of my two bottles. This was simply phenomenal tonight. Pop n pour. Whereas the first bottle faded shortly upon opening, this held up for the 30 or 45 minutes I had it in my glass. Beautiful and complex. Contrary to my last note, based on tonight's bottle I think this should go for several more years at least. 95+, wish I had more.
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Some Fine Older Bordeaux and Cabs (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This along with the '85 Gruaud Larose and the '00 Ridge Monte Bello were the standout reds tonight. We had the Dunn not too long ago, and I think this was an even better bottle. Very earthy at first, the creme de cassis and brambly berries, cherry, huckleberry, graphite, fine cigar. The palate is full bodied, velvet texture, tart cassis, choke cherry, huckleberry, dry earth, graphite, and great integrating tannins. This goes on and on. Easily a fifty year wine. Gotta love what Randy Dunn does - fantastic. 94+ to 95pts.
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Same btl as JCGuthrie ... Dunn HM is the one CA Cab that can relate ripe fruit intensity without getting remotely sloppy about it. This wine's resolved structure keeps this abundantly fresh, lifted and focused. Blind this would be easy to mistake for high end BDX. Seeing the label its easy to confirm, yep, this is uniquely Dunn. Classic aromas of cigar box mingle with dark berries. This wine is incredibly delicious, complex and suave now. Funny thing is many years ago another local wine geek was always wanting to swap me his 89 Dunn HMs for some other more straight on CA Cabs I had. Not knowing then what I've learned in the last 5 years I'd swap for his Dunn HMs in a heart beat today. The newer vintages are a young mans wine and James would be wise to start stashing those away. Dunn is not cheap but for what it is its a terrific value and one of the few premium $100ish level CA Cabs worth the money and then some. The palate caries over the cigar box, dark fruit, sense of minerality, cedar and other wonderful flavors. Along with Kevin's '85 Gruaud Larose my two favorite red wines of the night when we had several great btls. The color was still a very dark ruby red with some lighter edges. I'm grabbing some of these if I see them.
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Bring a Very Good Red . . . Again (Tilia): JCGUTHRIE's bottle. I felt this cab wasn't as old school as it should have been. Mostly fruit, spice and fine tannins. No leather or earth.
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Gave this very little air, which was probably the right call. Drinking very well, but suspect it would have showed even better a few years ago. Fun to try a wine at this age, and glad to have one more.
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A Mix of Big Name CDP and Cab Blends (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red color, slight 6mm transitional margin. Drank 1 glass over an hour. Same bottle as JCGuthrie which saw only a little air. Fantastic nose on this honey; cassis, sweet ripe dark mountain berries, minerals, crushed wildflowers and hints of mint. The palate is round and medium full bodied, poised, sweet cassis and boysenberry, nice tannins, crushed stones, good length. This was delicious, though it started to fade after about 30 minutes. 93+pts.
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In an evening of nearly 40 California Cabernets from the 60s-90s, this may have been the wine of the night. The fruit was clean and pure, unusually elegant for a Dunn mountain Cabernet. Perfect balance and poise with classic plum, cherry, licorice flavors showing deep saturation and length. It was difficult to dump it into the spill bucket. Highly recommended and ready to drink now.
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Medium-light crimson color. Nose of blackberries, shoe polish, and charcoal. This is somewhat thin and dilute through the palate, perhaps a reflection of the rain-drenched vintage. There are some weak berry flavors and the faintest hint of anise. Throughout the mouth and into the finish this has a very smooth texture. Totally mature (and likely a bit over-the-hill), this is a bit limp in comparison to the superlative 1990 vintage. Though not one of the all-time greats, it is easy-drinking and has the tertiary complexity one would expect in a nearly 30-year-old bottle of Cabernet. Enjoy soon.
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Drank aside a 90 sammarco - stood up well. This bottle had gorgeous color, typical of Dunn's wine looks 15 younger than label age - great dried berry, coffee, integrated fruit and tannin.
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Patience paid off with this wine. Took a few hours to open up. Rich, delicious black cherry fruit with chewy cedars flavors, excellent structure, slightly short finish
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Tasting 2 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons this and the 1987. Slightly the weaker on the nose, black currants, blackberry, bell pepper, more of the same on the palate, medium body, silky and fruity tasting tonight, perhaps on the downhill side, Bordeaux like, well done in a tough vintage, long finish.
5 Vintages of Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Tasting of 5 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1980's, Nose of black currants, blackberry, hint of green bell pepper and cranberry,almost like Chateau Pichon Lalande, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, very rich tasting fruit and the best bottle of this vintage that I have ever tasted, elegant, at its peak, Bordeaux like, Randy did a great job in this difficult vintage, got better as the evening went on, long, long, silky finish. My #4 of 5.
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1989 Howell Mountain showed smooth and elegant with dark, red fruits, salty minerality, herbal freshness, traces of barnyard and chocolate. A little austere and lacking some substance on the palate, but with fine fruit, raspberry (!) a mix of herbs and gravelly minerality. Fresh, forward and dynamic wine. If this is how wines from an alleged off-vintage taste like, that alright with me.
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Bye Bye Timmy (Convivial - Washington, D.C.): From magnum. Just a flat-out great example of California Cabernet. The fruit was still ripe and full, and it had a beautifully rustic element to it. Part earth, part graphite, it was like a liquid time capsule. Felt like the tannins were in a great place, too. Sometimes these wines feel like they're cofermented with the Fountain of Youth, but this seemed like it was in the right place. Lucky us.
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Dark ruby, very dense. Similar on nose; classically structured with dense dark red fruit, graphite, and a hint of sternness that does soften with time in the glass but keeps things in check. Brooding and dense but elegant. A good line here. Impressive wine. Currently a little more intellectual cf the 96 Dominus's demure sexiness, but none the worse for that. An interesting counterpoint. ****
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1989 Vintage Blind Tasting Event - Blind wine #1 - This really took some time to coax out of the glass next to most of the other wines. Definitely old world in style and I guess as such. Nice mature cassis, fall leaves, some great peppers but good depth and structure. In the middle of the pack of 8 wines for me blind.
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Left Bank, Right Bank, Left Side, Left Coast — 1989 Vintage Blind Tasting Event — Wine 1 (750): Cabernet Sauvignon, gravel, and mineral driven bouquet, with espresso and dark chocolate notes. Medium plus acid, grainy to course tannins, bracing mouthfeel. Wafted between Napa (strong Cabernet Sauvignon notes) and Left Bank (pronounced gravel element), hesitantly guessed Left Bank. Would have liked more time (and a proper glass) to evaluate this vivacious and interesting wine. In a great place right now; I do not think it has peaked. Drink by 2020-2022.
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Tasting of 1988 and 1989 Dunn Howell Mountain. bright beet red in the glass, nose of black currants, plum, briar, and sage, more of the same on the palate, medium body, smooth and supple, the opposite flavors of the 1988, a little bigger and richer tasting compared to the 1988 but the 1988 showed better flavors to me, smooth, tasty, drink up if you have it, long, silky finish.
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Gave it an hour's decant. Subdued nose, with cherry, leather and earthy flavors that call to mind Bordeaux style. Paired perfectly with mom's prime rib.
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Eight hour decant, and it needed every minute! True to Dunn form, this has the structure of a much younger wine. 10 hours in it was really showing its stuff. Very dark, brooding flavor profile. I always feel like these wines fall exactly halfway between a Bordeaux and a CA Cab. Best of both worlds. Ready to drink now with a very long decant, but probably has decades ahead of it if the fruit can hold on.
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Medium red, bricked. Low energy nose: spearmint, cherry, herbaceous, more mixed mints, bell pepper. On arrival, persistent fine-grained tannin and medium-low acidity. Flavors of a cooler-climate and modestly extracted cabernet sauvignon than one expects from Dunn: faint cherry, green bean, sassafras, borscht. Finishes long, savory; the best part. This vintage has felt restrained since release. Though I want to rate it higher due to knowledge of its producer's careful farming and vinification steps used to produce it, truth be told, this bottle was only good - not very good. Bottle #10 of twelve.
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Still tight. Drank at Oxheart. Nose opened up quite a bit after an hour or so. From WineBid, so could have been questionable provenance. Not sure fruit will still be there when Tannin fades. Wait 5 years?
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Dunn Vertical at Post 154 (Post 154 Westport, CT): This started off with a touch of funk on the nose but it quickly blew off. Got a lot of fruit on the nose of this with dried cherry, cassis and blackberry. This tasted the youngest of the first 3 wines with some nice cherry, earth and raspberry flavors but it ended with some drying tannins.
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Wines @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): I tasted this after 24 hours of being opened. A nice, old school type of Cab, with dusty earth, leather and minerals. I was told this was quite closed when first opened, but this was quite open, fragrant and giving when I tried it. Dark red in color with a ruby rim... in general, this was still quite youthful looking. Linear, precise and never fatiguing.
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Austere, tannic, and completely charmless the first night, despite double decanting a couple of hours prior to serving. A day later, it's another story - really elegant and complex with lots of bright red and dark fruit tinged with cedar, earth, mint, and other high toned herbal elements, and quite polished and graceful on the palate with surprisingly bright acidity that gives it a great sense of freshness.
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What a great wine. Bit of bricking, but that classic Dunn nose, cork popped out solid, with barely a stain up the side. Took a bit to open up, but once it did, just terrific. Some dirt, a little pencil. Softer on the finish than the others, but the dark fruit still there. Will probably drink the rest sooner than later, but don't think you need to rush.
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California Cab Night during Bachelor Week: Dunn has always been a favorite of mine and this did not disappoint. Beautiful deep red color, with some tobacco and dark fruit. Well balanced, long finish. Had a bottle two months ago and consistent with that note. Old school cab which I just love.
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Where to start? Wonderfully mature, balanced Napa Cab. Tannins still strong and fruit is there to balance. Dark purple color with that distinctive nose. Dried red fruit. Cork was perfect.
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Drank side by side with an '89 Dunn Howell Mountain and an '84 Dunn Napa. This was deep purple in the glass, with some floral notes on the nose. Maybe the only one of the three with this characteristic. Still plenty of tannin although this was not as balanced as the other two. Full of minerals, graphite and tobacco box with a hint of cedar.
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Classic California Cab. Beautiful dark red color. Old-School earth, dark berries, tobacco, resolved tannins. Very enjoyable. This bottle doesn't suggest that there's any additional bottle aging potential but should be great for another 5 years.
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Late Feb 2012, Dunn tasting (with Randy Dunn present) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival: bottle opened approx. 75 min. before tasting, bottle to decanter back to bottle decanted, 15 min. before consumption poured into the glass (sommelier information); crimson color; started restrained, after appear. 30 min. red berries and cherry aromas/flavors; went down very well; medium body; round texture.
Flight II: 1998 - 1993 - 1990 - 1989 - 1984
Randy Dunn information: approx. 450 cases/year, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 80-85% Nevers oak.
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Aromas and taste of dry cherries with some blackberry notes there is a nice balance of graphite and earth undertones. Tannins are well resolved and the finish resonates and glows for over a minute. Definitely ready to drink, but this will hold up for another 10 years at least.
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I hate the wax on these! After that, the cork was a bit problematic; decanted. Deep red color, quite floral on the nose but still with some drying tannins on the finish. Good wine but will the fruit outlast the tannins; should be drunk up.
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It may not be the best Dunn, but it is an outstanding bottle of wine. Perfect cork and neck fill. Dark red core with progressive lightening to an orange/brick colored rim. visually showing more age than the 1984 Dunn HM. Fruit seemed to be fading, but it left the minerality and earth tones to shine through. Nice complexity and depth. Nose was subtle and lacking compared to the rest of the experience. tasted against a 1986 Las Cases and it showed very well at 1/3 the price. A great value all things considered.
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Opened this 3 to 4 hours before drinking. Deep purple in color - no sign of brick. Had trouble with the cork but aroma filled the room upon opening. Picked up a hint of age on the nose at first but open approaching some time later, no indication this was 22 years old. Lots of red fruit on the nose but darker black and blue fruits on the palate. Also a hint of candy and some chocolate on the palate. Drank in celebration of youngest sons 22nd birthday.
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Impressively primary. I would guess under 7 years from vintage from the color and nose. Very dark and brooding, with perfume/ flowers, and lovely stoniess, dark chocolate, and very deep fruit. More cooler mountain fruit and baking chocolate on the palate. This was understandably still very tannic, but in spite of that, there is real focus and clarity. This wine, while very pleasureable, is about potential now. 92+ pts. Thanks RM
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Tight upon opening, spent the next hour in the bottle and opened up a bit. Tobacco, earth a bit of fruit but no real wow. Capsule as usual was cracked and the cork was dry and crumbling. For the vintage, it has held up well
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We, too, had cork problems, but with a little effort, we worked it out. It was still a very good wine and surprisingly resiliant. Tea leaves and cedar were evident but it was smooth and a joy for a wine of this age. We were not disappointed and it was a treat to share with my baby brother and his wife who had traveled from Boston to our home in So Cal for Thanksgiving week.
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Our son's 21st Birthday! We survived, and the wine did too, but with the same ups and downs as getting through his teenage years. Cork was extremely moist and couldnt be removed with a traditional corkscrew; our twin-tine remover broke last month, so the wine was decanted to remove the cork sediment. Light claret coloring, earth and cedar on the nose. After 15 mins this had opened up and showed red fruit, currants and more earth. Fruit fading but still evident. After 90 mins this had faded to the point that we opened up a half bottle of '02 Shafer cab just to have something with more depth to accompany our filet roast.
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Fill into neck. After scattering flakes of red wax everywhere, the cork was extracted with the Ah-So, after the Rabbit failed. Decanted 20 minutes before tasting. Clear, deep dark crimson-blood red, with a brickish meniscus. Attractive bouquet of dark cherries, mocha, charcoal, and earth. But the nose promised more than the palate delivered. A monolithic wall of sour, mouth-puckering tannins, without much sweetness or charm. Unbalanced, too concentrated. Too much tannin and oak, not enough fruit. Minimal improvement after 2 hours.
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Very dry cork. Thick, dark red color. Barely perceptable, highly extracted cherry fruit with cedar, cassis, and currant flavors, very tight wine despite its years of age, tannins still ample, finish is short, I don't think this wine will ever open up completely
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13.0% alcohol. Soaked cork -- even through the wax capsule. That gave a moment of pause and worry. But no matter. This was a terrific bottle. Dark color. Gorgeous, cool Cab nose of black fruit, tobacco, cedar, and herbs. In the mouth, the rusticity has subsided, and it's showing a youthful, beautiful wine. Very pure and linear in the mouth, with great mouth feel and concentration. Still some tannic kick, but just a pure delight on the finish. A-
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Dinner Chez Jahnke: The real deal. I loved this wine. Still seemed young and of course, notoriously tannic, but it showed elegance, refinement, and power all at the same time. Great black currant fruit, tobacco, and a hint of mint. If more folks made this style of wine in Napa at a reasonable price these days, I'd be a buyer.
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Opened this at a group tasting, and it was one of the hits of the evening. Amazing that this is a 19-year-old wine. It has really held up quite well, smoothing out a bit but not loosing any big fruit or the grippiness around the edges. There are herbs and some veggies (green beans) on the nose. The palate is full of cranberries, tempered with dark fruit. Long finish of fruit and herbs.
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Tasted November 10, 2007 at an offline. Nose of eucalyptus, black fruits and a little band aid. Flavors of black currants and black berries. Light to medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink or hold.
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Decanted 1-2 hours. Tons and I mean tons of sediment. I think I have half of Howell Mountain in my kitchen sink from the strainer. Over the hill? Pffffft. The color is def bricking but you'd never guess it by taste or smell. The nose is fresh, reminiscent of a chianti, in that it has an earthy aspect to the plum and cherry flavors. Still a massive, dark, wine that is no longer brooding - but rather suave and full of lush plum and currant flavors. Very smooth with mellowed tannin. I didnt have the chance to have this wine upon release, so I cant speak to how it has developed. I do know this will drink well for another 5 years easy, assuming proper provenance.
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Decanted for 4 hours, lots of sediment. Deep colors with some bricking on the edges. Nose was pretty primary with cassis and oak, but a little tobacco was in the background as well. Very nice but not something that you would want to spend a lot of time with. The fruit was amazingly fresh for its age and the tannins, though calmed a bit by the 4 hours and the tenderloin which it accompanied was still quite bracing and took away from the finish. There was a lot of this left in the decanter with our party six.
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10 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignons (Lafayette, Ca.): Bigger and richer than the 1987 Napa, later turned out to be, tonight, but little bit better fruit, nice taste, good fruit. My #8, Group #4.
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3/29/2024 - sbfencer wrote: 92 Points
Maybe somewhat past its peak, but very much an awesome and serious wine. Really cool to get to taste.
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1/21/2023 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Regular dinner group (@ My place): In the bouquet dark berries, sweet spices, pleasant vanilla and in fact still surprisingly youthful. On the palate juicy dark berries, good acidity and still round tannin with a beautiful and firm bite. This wine still has a future of several years.
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8/20/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Mid-Aged Zinfandel and Cali Cab Dinner (Casa Garard - Northfield IL): Lots here... bold black fruit, firm tannins, meaty character, just not quite perfectly harmonious to me, so not as balanced as I'd consider ideal. Still, easy to enjoy. Not certain if/ how/ when this will reach its full potential.
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8/20/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 96 Points
Chez Garard older Zinfandels and Cali Cabs: Fantastic btl. Pristine condition and our sons birth year. Deep and rich Cab fruit. Brief decant. For an off vintage Randy makes great wines that age. Drink
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4/8/2021 - Anandwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank over three days. Earth, soil, manure on the nose. Faded blackberry, barnyard funk. With no decant, smelled and tasted extremely earthy. Funk blew off with some air, revealing a medium-bodied, peppery, delightful wine.
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3/4/2021 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brick edges, complex nose with forward cedar notes, tobacco box, backed up by dark currants, well integrated tannins, good finish, still excellent, but starting to show it's age
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6/13/2020 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Elegant, lifted, vanilla, cedar, leather, tobacco on the nose. The fruit is pretty much gone on palate. Finish is pleasant.
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4/16/2020 - vinojones wrote: 94 Points
dark ruby red; nose of red cherries, red plums, some complex spice; very balanced palate, good fruit and tannin balance; great Cabernet character without excessive tannin's; med long finish, a beautiful Cabernet at it's peak.
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2/11/2020 - lolo66 wrote: 94 Points
Blind Bordeaux vs Cali Cab (Bobby Van's): Blind. Probably my wotn. so elegant. definitely California but had such nice feminine qualities. Fruit is in an excellent place. Drink em if you got them. Nicely stored bottle.
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2/7/2020 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 98 Points
Against a '99 Togni, and a '96 Togni. This came in 2nd place just under the Togni 1996. Just a schoshe shyer than the '96. Finally mature. I think I have one left, but if i don't this was an excellent bottle to go out on. Delicious all the way. Prime NY Strip butter basted. WOW. Superb pairing, superb wine.
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1/30/2020 - sung251 Likes this wine: 93 Points
fantastic wine. A very satisfying dunn that is more on the rustic side. The tannic profile is fine, grainy and present but in great balance with the fruit and acid. One of those eye opening experiences that reminds you that Dunn is really worth collecting for the long term. The wine is in a good place to drink now but there is no rush. can still plateau for 5 yrs more most likely.
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10/10/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Acker Merrall & Condit Bordeaux vs. California Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel): Tasted blind next to the '89 Lynch Bages. While I give a slight edge to the Lynch, this was an amazing wine. Additionally, I was not able to pick this out as being a California wine. This is a great ringer at a Bordeaux tasting. Next to the Lynch, it was a bit more rustic in style, which is typical of Randy Dunn's wine making style and Howell Mtn. Delicious!
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8/18/2019 - SommStags Likes this wine:
From 5L: Could have fooled most if inputted into a Bordeaux blind tasting flight. I preferred the 85 Cos 5L more but both were great. So fun.
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7/10/2018 - Kevnzworld Does not like this wine: 85 Points
We decanted the wine one hour before serving. The cork crumbled while opening.
The nose of was of muted berry herbs and alcohol
This wasn’t a good year for most Cabernets, but I was hoping that up on Howell Mountain things fared better after reading others reviews.
After tasting the wine its evident that our bottle was past what I have to assume was it’s prime.
The faded fruit leaves some bitterness and acidity on the finish that unbalances the wine.
There’s still some Cabernet flavor that comes out with the modern Italian food we had with it.
Overall, a dying bottle of wine.
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5/12/2018 - starkravingmad Likes this wine: 92 Points
Group Wine Tasting:
Fruit & Berry, Earthy, Smooth, Legs; Dry, oak, currants, earthy; higher alcohol; very dry; Raspberry; Peppers
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4/30/2018 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 91 Points
A super middle neck bottle decanted briefly then drank over the next two hours alongside a Ch. Pichone Lalande Comtesse 1979. Opaque purple-red core just moving to transparency on the edges of the glass. Nose is absolutely gorgeous! - a bit Burgundian in perfume then earth, very concentrated and deep pastilled redcurrant fruit, new leather shoes...endlessly sniffable and very French old world in character. Palate is beautifully rounded yet with a still quite tannic core but no alcohol and lovely confit black and red fruits combined with a strong 'terroir' statement of dried gulley rocks. Great mounting resonance and reverberance inside the head on the finish. A fresh pour between the two of us reinvigorated the fruit and made it more expressive....it got younger and richer with extended time in the glass. A really super wine and has 5-10 years to improve further.
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2/13/2018 - JCGuthrie wrote: 95 Points
The second of my two bottles. This was simply phenomenal tonight. Pop n pour. Whereas the first bottle faded shortly upon opening, this held up for the 30 or 45 minutes I had it in my glass. Beautiful and complex. Contrary to my last note, based on tonight's bottle I think this should go for several more years at least. 95+, wish I had more.
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2/12/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Some Fine Older Bordeaux and Cabs (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This along with the '85 Gruaud Larose and the '00 Ridge Monte Bello were the standout reds tonight. We had the Dunn not too long ago, and I think this was an even better bottle. Very earthy at first, the creme de cassis and brambly berries, cherry, huckleberry, graphite, fine cigar. The palate is full bodied, velvet texture, tart cassis, choke cherry, huckleberry, dry earth, graphite, and great integrating tannins. This goes on and on. Easily a fifty year wine. Gotta love what Randy Dunn does - fantastic. 94+ to 95pts.
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2/12/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
Same btl as JCGuthrie ... Dunn HM is the one CA Cab that can relate ripe fruit intensity without getting remotely sloppy about it. This wine's resolved structure keeps this abundantly fresh, lifted and focused. Blind this would be easy to mistake for high end BDX. Seeing the label its easy to confirm, yep, this is uniquely Dunn. Classic aromas of cigar box mingle with dark berries. This wine is incredibly delicious, complex and suave now. Funny thing is many years ago another local wine geek was always wanting to swap me his 89 Dunn HMs for some other more straight on CA Cabs I had. Not knowing then what I've learned in the last 5 years I'd swap for his Dunn HMs in a heart beat today. The newer vintages are a young mans wine and James would be wise to start stashing those away. Dunn is not cheap but for what it is its a terrific value and one of the few premium $100ish level CA Cabs worth the money and then some. The palate caries over the cigar box, dark fruit, sense of minerality, cedar and other wonderful flavors. Along with Kevin's '85 Gruaud Larose my two favorite red wines of the night when we had several great btls. The color was still a very dark ruby red with some lighter edges. I'm grabbing some of these if I see them.
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6/12/2017 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Bring a Very Good Red . . . Again (Tilia): JCGUTHRIE's bottle. I felt this cab wasn't as old school as it should have been. Mostly fruit, spice and fine tannins. No leather or earth.
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6/10/2017 - JCGuthrie wrote: 92 Points
Gave this very little air, which was probably the right call. Drinking very well, but suspect it would have showed even better a few years ago. Fun to try a wine at this age, and glad to have one more.
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6/8/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
A Mix of Big Name CDP and Cab Blends (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red color, slight 6mm transitional margin. Drank 1 glass over an hour. Same bottle as JCGuthrie which saw only a little air. Fantastic nose on this honey; cassis, sweet ripe dark mountain berries, minerals, crushed wildflowers and hints of mint. The palate is round and medium full bodied, poised, sweet cassis and boysenberry, nice tannins, crushed stones, good length. This was delicious, though it started to fade after about 30 minutes. 93+pts.
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5/23/2017 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
In an evening of nearly 40 California Cabernets from the 60s-90s, this may have been the wine of the night. The fruit was clean and pure, unusually elegant for a Dunn mountain Cabernet. Perfect balance and poise with classic plum, cherry, licorice flavors showing deep saturation and length. It was difficult to dump it into the spill bucket. Highly recommended and ready to drink now.
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1/29/2017 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 88 Points
Medium-light crimson color. Nose of blackberries, shoe polish, and charcoal. This is somewhat thin and dilute through the palate, perhaps a reflection of the rain-drenched vintage. There are some weak berry flavors and the faintest hint of anise. Throughout the mouth and into the finish this has a very smooth texture. Totally mature (and likely a bit over-the-hill), this is a bit limp in comparison to the superlative 1990 vintage. Though not one of the all-time greats, it is easy-drinking and has the tertiary complexity one would expect in a nearly 30-year-old bottle of Cabernet. Enjoy soon.
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12/23/2016 - renoprof Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank aside a 90 sammarco - stood up well. This bottle had gorgeous color, typical of Dunn's wine looks 15 younger than label age - great dried berry, coffee, integrated fruit and tannin.
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6/17/2016 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Patience paid off with this wine. Took a few hours to open up. Rich, delicious black cherry fruit with chewy cedars flavors, excellent structure, slightly short finish
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6/9/2016 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasting 2 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons this and the 1987. Slightly the weaker on the nose, black currants, blackberry, bell pepper, more of the same on the palate, medium body, silky and fruity tasting tonight, perhaps on the downhill side, Bordeaux like, well done in a tough vintage, long finish.
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5/11/2016 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
5 Vintages of Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Tasting of 5 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1980's, Nose of black currants, blackberry, hint of green bell pepper and cranberry,almost like Chateau Pichon Lalande, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, very rich tasting fruit and the best bottle of this vintage that I have ever tasted, elegant, at its peak, Bordeaux like, Randy did a great job in this difficult vintage, got better as the evening went on, long, long, silky finish. My #4 of 5.
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3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 91 Points
1989 Howell Mountain showed smooth and elegant with dark, red fruits, salty minerality, herbal freshness, traces of barnyard and chocolate.
A little austere and lacking some substance on the palate, but with fine fruit, raspberry (!) a mix of herbs and gravelly minerality.
Fresh, forward and dynamic wine.
If this is how wines from an alleged off-vintage taste like, that alright with me.
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1/9/2016 - tooch wrote: 95 Points
Bye Bye Timmy (Convivial - Washington, D.C.): From magnum. Just a flat-out great example of California Cabernet. The fruit was still ripe and full, and it had a beautifully rustic element to it. Part earth, part graphite, it was like a liquid time capsule. Felt like the tannins were in a great place, too. Sometimes these wines feel like they're cofermented with the Fountain of Youth, but this seemed like it was in the right place. Lucky us.
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12/19/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chicago, IL): Tasted double blind. Black fruit, meaty and dense. Lots of structure. I thought this Bordeaux from a mediocre vintage. Too firm for the level and quality of fruit.
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11/13/2015 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby, very dense. Similar on nose; classically structured with dense dark red fruit, graphite, and a hint of sternness that does soften with time in the glass but keeps things in check. Brooding and dense but elegant. A good line here. Impressive wine. Currently a little more intellectual cf the 96 Dominus's demure sexiness, but none the worse for that. An interesting counterpoint. ****
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10/16/2015 - bajayngo wrote:
1989 Vintage Blind Tasting Event - Blind wine #1 - This really took some time to coax out of the glass next to most of the other wines. Definitely old world in style and I guess as such. Nice mature cassis, fall leaves, some great peppers but good depth and structure. In the middle of the pack of 8 wines for me blind.
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10/11/2015 - Motz wrote: 92 Points
Left Bank, Right Bank, Left Side, Left Coast — 1989 Vintage Blind Tasting Event — Wine 1 (750): Cabernet Sauvignon, gravel, and mineral driven bouquet, with espresso and dark chocolate notes. Medium plus acid, grainy to course tannins, bracing mouthfeel. Wafted between Napa (strong Cabernet Sauvignon notes) and Left Bank (pronounced gravel element), hesitantly guessed Left Bank. Would have liked more time (and a proper glass) to evaluate this vivacious and interesting wine. In a great place right now; I do not think it has peaked. Drink by 2020-2022.
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10/5/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasting of 1988 and 1989 Dunn Howell Mountain. bright beet red in the glass, nose of black currants, plum, briar, and sage, more of the same on the palate, medium body, smooth and supple, the opposite flavors of the 1988, a little bigger and richer tasting compared to the 1988 but the 1988 showed better flavors to me, smooth, tasty, drink up if you have it, long, silky finish.
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12/31/2014 - umbertodigitali wrote: 93 Points
Gave it an hour's decant. Subdued nose, with cherry, leather and earthy flavors that call to mind Bordeaux style. Paired perfectly with mom's prime rib.
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12/21/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 92 Points
Eight hour decant, and it needed every minute! True to Dunn form, this has the structure of a much younger wine. 10 hours in it was really showing its stuff. Very dark, brooding flavor profile. I always feel like these wines fall exactly halfway between a Bordeaux and a CA Cab. Best of both worlds. Ready to drink now with a very long decant, but probably has decades ahead of it if the fruit can hold on.
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10/13/2014 - Hodby wrote: 86 Points
Medium red, bricked. Low energy nose: spearmint, cherry, herbaceous, more mixed mints, bell pepper. On arrival, persistent fine-grained tannin and medium-low acidity. Flavors of a cooler-climate and modestly extracted cabernet sauvignon than one expects from Dunn: faint cherry, green bean, sassafras, borscht. Finishes long, savory; the best part. This vintage has felt restrained since release. Though I want to rate it higher due to knowledge of its producer's careful farming and vinification steps used to produce it, truth be told, this bottle was only good - not very good. Bottle #10 of twelve.
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6/3/2014 - jhw425 wrote: 88 Points
Still tight. Drank at Oxheart. Nose opened up quite a bit after an hour or so. From WineBid, so could have been questionable provenance. Not sure fruit will still be there when Tannin fades. Wait 5 years?
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5/31/2014 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dunn Vertical at Post 154 (Post 154 Westport, CT): This started off with a touch of funk on the nose but it quickly blew off. Got a lot of fruit on the nose of this with dried cherry, cassis and blackberry. This tasted the youngest of the first 3 wines with some nice cherry, earth and raspberry flavors but it ended with some drying tannins.
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5/21/2014 - mdefreitas wrote: 93 Points
Wines @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): I tasted this after 24 hours of being opened. A nice, old school type of Cab, with dusty earth, leather and minerals. I was told this was quite closed when first opened, but this was quite open, fragrant and giving when I tried it. Dark red in color with a ruby rim... in general, this was still quite youthful looking. Linear, precise and never fatiguing.
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5/20/2014 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Austere, tannic, and completely charmless the first night, despite double decanting a couple of hours prior to serving. A day later, it's another story - really elegant and complex with lots of bright red and dark fruit tinged with cedar, earth, mint, and other high toned herbal elements, and quite polished and graceful on the palate with surprisingly bright acidity that gives it a great sense of freshness.
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12/25/2013 - facchair wrote: 92 Points
- Aromas of black pepper and has flavours of oak and dusty with a medium/full body.
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12/7/2013 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a great wine. Bit of bricking, but that classic Dunn nose, cork popped out solid, with barely a stain up the side. Took a bit to open up, but once it did, just terrific. Some dirt, a little pencil. Softer on the finish than the others, but the dark fruit still there. Will probably drink the rest sooner than later, but don't think you need to rush.
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4/18/2013 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 94 Points
California Cab Night during Bachelor Week: Dunn has always been a favorite of mine and this did not disappoint. Beautiful deep red color, with some tobacco and dark fruit. Well balanced, long finish. Had a bottle two months ago and consistent with that note. Old school cab which I just love.
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3/7/2013 - jlgnml wrote: 89 Points
Good nose, out of mag, very smooth for an off vintage.
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2/9/2013 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 94 Points
Where to start? Wonderfully mature, balanced Napa Cab. Tannins still strong and fruit is there to balance. Dark purple color with that distinctive nose. Dried red fruit. Cork was perfect.
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12/24/2012 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank side by side with an '89 Dunn Howell Mountain and an '84 Dunn Napa. This was deep purple in the glass, with some floral notes on the nose. Maybe the only one of the three with this characteristic. Still plenty of tannin although this was not as balanced as the other two. Full of minerals, graphite and tobacco box with a hint of cedar.
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4/30/2012 - plitton wrote: 93 Points
Classic California Cab. Beautiful dark red color. Old-School earth, dark berries, tobacco, resolved tannins. Very enjoyable. This bottle doesn't suggest that there's any additional bottle aging potential but should be great for another 5 years.
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2/28/2012 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
Late Feb 2012, Dunn tasting (with Randy Dunn present) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival: bottle opened approx. 75 min. before tasting, bottle to decanter back to bottle decanted, 15 min. before consumption poured into the glass (sommelier information); crimson color; started restrained, after appear. 30 min. red berries and cherry aromas/flavors; went down very well; medium body; round texture.
Flight II: 1998 - 1993 - 1990 - 1989 - 1984
Randy Dunn information: approx. 450 cases/year, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 80-85% Nevers oak.
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2/28/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 90 Points
Dunn Howell Mountain Tasting (Eltville, Germany): Cassis, herbs, tobacco, leather, slightly austere.
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1/14/2012 - davidrh1 wrote: 95 Points
Aromas and taste of dry cherries with some blackberry notes there is a nice balance of graphite and earth undertones. Tannins are well resolved and the finish resonates and glows for over a minute. Definitely ready to drink, but this will hold up for another 10 years at least.
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9/12/2011 - rosenst1 wrote: 87 Points
I hate the wax on these! After that, the cork was a bit problematic; decanted. Deep red color, quite floral on the nose but still with some drying tannins on the finish. Good wine but will the fruit outlast the tannins; should be drunk up.
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9/3/2011 - Grenik wrote: 94 Points
It may not be the best Dunn, but it is an outstanding bottle of wine. Perfect cork and neck fill. Dark red core with progressive lightening to an orange/brick colored rim. visually showing more age than the 1984 Dunn HM. Fruit seemed to be fading, but it left the minerality and earth tones to shine through. Nice complexity and depth. Nose was subtle and lacking compared to the rest of the experience. tasted against a 1986 Las Cases and it showed very well at 1/3 the price. A great value all things considered.
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6/30/2011 - ccplaza wrote: 90 Points
Mature, but second half of the bottle was fine on day 2. Very pleasurable bottle even if it isn't the greatest bottle of Dunn ever.
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6/25/2011 - bgriffi1 wrote: 90 Points
Still going strong with a nice chalk astringency that softened over the evening leaving pleasant fruit.
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6/22/2011 - wconnolly wrote: 94 Points
Opened this 3 to 4 hours before drinking. Deep purple in color - no sign of brick. Had trouble with the cork but aroma filled the room upon opening. Picked up a hint of age on the nose at first but open approaching some time later, no indication this was 22 years old. Lots of red fruit on the nose but darker black and blue fruits on the palate. Also a hint of candy and some chocolate on the palate. Drank in celebration of youngest sons 22nd birthday.
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3/19/2011 - cct wrote: 92 Points
Neck fill. SOM'd overnight.
Impressively primary. I would guess under 7 years from vintage from the color and nose. Very dark and brooding, with perfume/ flowers, and lovely stoniess, dark chocolate, and very deep fruit. More cooler mountain fruit and baking chocolate on the palate. This was understandably still very tannic, but in spite of that, there is real focus and clarity. This wine, while very pleasureable, is about potential now. 92+ pts. Thanks RM
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1/22/2011 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
RUSSK WW at Sage. KenT's '89CA/BX tasting. Mid tier. Smell MJ smoke.Still a touch tannic.
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1/14/2011 - bnord81 wrote: 89 Points
Tight upon opening, spent the next hour in the bottle and opened up a bit. Tobacco, earth a bit of fruit but no real wow. Capsule as usual was cracked and the cork was dry and crumbling. For the vintage, it has held up well
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11/22/2010 - allview wrote:
We, too, had cork problems, but with a little effort, we worked it out. It was still a very good wine and surprisingly resiliant. Tea leaves and cedar were evident but it was smooth and a joy for a wine of this age. We were not disappointed and it was a treat to share with my baby brother and his wife who had traveled from Boston to our home in So Cal for Thanksgiving week.
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9/19/2010 - davidandrose wrote:
Our son's 21st Birthday! We survived, and the wine did too, but with the same ups and downs as getting through his teenage years. Cork was extremely moist and couldnt be removed with a traditional corkscrew; our twin-tine remover broke last month, so the wine was decanted to remove the cork sediment. Light claret coloring, earth and cedar on the nose. After 15 mins this had opened up and showed red fruit, currants and more earth. Fruit fading but still evident. After 90 mins this had faded to the point that we opened up a half bottle of '02 Shafer cab just to have something with more depth to accompany our filet roast.
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5/4/2010 - Javachip wrote: 87 Points
Fill into neck. After scattering flakes of red wax everywhere, the cork was extracted with the Ah-So, after the Rabbit failed. Decanted 20 minutes before tasting. Clear, deep dark crimson-blood red, with a brickish meniscus. Attractive bouquet of dark cherries, mocha, charcoal, and earth. But the nose promised more than the palate delivered. A monolithic wall of sour, mouth-puckering tannins, without much sweetness or charm. Unbalanced, too concentrated. Too much tannin and oak, not enough fruit. Minimal improvement after 2 hours.
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11/7/2009 - Amerique wrote: 89 Points
Very dry cork. Thick, dark red color. Barely perceptable, highly extracted cherry fruit with cedar, cassis, and currant flavors, very tight wine despite its years of age, tannins still ample, finish is short, I don't think this wine will ever open up completely
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5/6/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
13.0% alcohol. Soaked cork -- even through the wax capsule. That gave a moment of pause and worry. But no matter. This was a terrific bottle. Dark color. Gorgeous, cool Cab nose of black fruit, tobacco, cedar, and herbs. In the mouth, the rusticity has subsided, and it's showing a youthful, beautiful wine. Very pure and linear in the mouth, with great mouth feel and concentration. Still some tannic kick, but just a pure delight on the finish. A-
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4/26/2009 - buckeye76 wrote: 94 Points
BLACK CHERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, CURRANTS, AND LEATHER IN THE NOSE FLAVOR. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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10/9/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Dunn Cabernet Vertical '87 - '90 Blindtasted (Palo Alto, California): Group's #5 (my #5) – 52 pts; 1, 0, 0, 1 – Dark red violet with pale edges; tobacco and sage nose with a touch of Necco wafer; tart tobacco, graphite, charcoal and black fruit palate; medium-plus finish
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8/2/2008 - steffenpelz wrote:
Dinner Chez Jahnke: The real deal. I loved this wine. Still seemed young and of course, notoriously tannic, but it showed elegance, refinement, and power all at the same time. Great black currant fruit, tobacco, and a hint of mint. If more folks made this style of wine in Napa at a reasonable price these days, I'd be a buyer.
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5/23/2008 - JeffnCin wrote:
Opened this at a group tasting, and it was one of the hits of the evening. Amazing that this is a 19-year-old wine. It has really held up quite well, smoothing out a bit but not loosing any big fruit or the grippiness around the edges. There are herbs and some veggies (green beans) on the nose. The palate is full of cranberries, tempered with dark fruit. Long finish of fruit and herbs.
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11/10/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
WIML90?
Tasted November 10, 2007 at an offline. Nose of eucalyptus, black fruits and a little band aid. Flavors of black currants and black berries. Light to medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink or hold.
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5/4/2007 - spacewrangler wrote: 87 Points
Decanted 1-2 hours. Tons and I mean tons of sediment. I think I have half of Howell Mountain in my kitchen sink from the strainer. Over the hill? Pffffft. The color is def bricking but you'd never guess it by taste or smell. The nose is fresh, reminiscent of a chianti, in that it has an earthy aspect to the plum and cherry flavors. Still a massive, dark, wine that is no longer brooding - but rather suave and full of lush plum and currant flavors. Very smooth with mellowed tannin. I didnt have the chance to have this wine upon release, so I cant speak to how it has developed. I do know this will drink well for another 5 years easy, assuming proper provenance.
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4/26/2005 - thomaskeil wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 4 hours, lots of sediment. Deep colors with some bricking on the edges. Nose was pretty primary with cassis and oak, but a little tobacco was in the background as well. Very nice but not something that you would want to spend a lot of time with. The fruit was amazingly fresh for its age and the tannins, though calmed a bit by the 4 hours and the tenderloin which it accompanied was still quite bracing and took away from the finish. There was a lot of this left in the decanter with our party six.
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1/8/1994 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Three Great Reds 1989 and 1990 vintages (Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Costa Mesa, Ca.): Hi-Time Cellars Tasting, earthy, truffles with a hint of tobacco on the nose, lovely, rich wine to taste, very different wine for Dunn, tinge of sweat sox and ammonia, long finish.
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10/19/1993 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
10 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignons (Lafayette, Ca.): Bigger and richer than the 1987 Napa, later turned out to be, tonight, but little bit better fruit, nice taste, good fruit. My #8, Group #4.
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