Oh how I loved the '09, 10, 12, & 13. This one is a bit less than those, it still has that weightless but intense feel, but the concentration lacks. Nicely complex with peet and earth notes, but nose is not as expressive as the palate.
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Impenetrable dark colour. Both intricate and compounded with menthol and paprika. Fleshy and dark fruit, graphite and dried lavender. High on tannins, extremely intense and dense but balanced and harmonious. Lengthy refined finish. Very good now but definitely a keeper.
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One hour decant. Deep dark magenta color. Blackberry, fig, milk chocolate, mushroom, and subtle brown sugar. Very smooth, dry palate, with tongue coating acidity. Firm, lower intensity tannins on the longish finish.
This is absolutely a Bordeaux-leaning Napa CS. It went terrific with our food at Angele in Napa. It became more expressive over an hour of drinking. My lady friend would have rated this two points higher, if that matters to anyone. She thoroughly enjoyed this.
Look forward to this since I have loved the younger vintages. Stayed in the decanter for 2 1/2 hours by the time I finished it. Definitely carried some minerality and minor Bordeaux style dryness. Fruit was not excessive though expected more considering this is a NAPA benchmark style wine. Accompanied a nice steak meal - perfect setting for a nice combo. Priced lower than its other vintages but would not buy this one again.
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Such a well crafted wine. I’ve learned with Dunns that if you’re going to drink them young you better allow several hours of slow ox or decanting to let the wine open up. In this case after uncorking 5 hours earlier I was rewarded with a massive and full bodied wine with exceptional tannins and a lingering finish with dark, fresh mountain fruit. This wine was the perfect pairing with short ribs. Definitely a great Dunn vintage.
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Dark garnet and purple colored, medium full bodied, at six years, this was surprisingly approachable with its concentrated full bright expressive fruits of black currant and black berry fruits with hints of spicy clove, smoke and notes of sweet tobacco, creme de cassis and what I initially thought of as 'menthol' but later realized it was what one of the pundits called camphor, turning to supple tannins on big finish. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/05/dunn-vineyards-howell-mtn-cabernet.html
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What is it: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from 60% Coombsville and 40% Howell Mountain vineyards. 100% new oak for 32 months. 13.9% (!!!) ABV
Nose: Explosively aromatic though not quite room-filling like some Burgundy has been. Black cherry, black currant, red currant, almost luxardo cherry like richness, iron, cigar box, vanilla toasty oak. It smells ripe while maintaining freshness which is something I love about mountaintop cabernet.
Palate: Balanced mouthfeel despite the ripeness and oak. Acid is pleasantly med-high, tannins are just starting to integrate. Black currant, vanilla toasty oak, black cherry, and a bit of chalky minerality. It's weird to have a cab that tastes black and red rather than black and blue like Ridge or Heitz (that may have made more sense in my head).
Takeaway: If literally every California cab could be like this I'd be so happy. It pays clear tribute to Bordeaux while also being distinctly Napa, and this convinces me to do a bit of a backfill of Howell Mountain cabernet now. 5/5
3 hour decant. Beautiful wine. Medium-bodied. Mint, rocks, black cherry on the nose. Drinks more like a Pinot than a cab. Well-balanced palate and finish. For high-end Napa cab, at $130/bottle, this is great value.
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Rich and powerful, yet in an excellently refined way. Nice fruit of darker red berries, mushrooms, vanilla beans, perfume and summer meadow. Rich and powerful wine with a nice tight fruit core with darker red berries, light wood, hints of vanilla and spices that spread lots of joy. Nicely, almost a little herbal spice tones are behind and teasing. Really structured. Long, slightly dense finish, but this is really a wine that will withstand storage. Excellent American for the next 15-20 years! 94 points.
Dark purple red; deep intense dark fruit, plum, licorice; soft rich intense deep, chocolate, not jammy, powerful but with finesse, slightly tannic dry ending; really nice
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Really pleasant wine that will sing with a couple of more years. Nicely balanced, some raspberry jam, touch of tobacco and earth. Really a pleasant wine that should open up more in 3-5 years.
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Dark fruit, yet very fresh with a distinct hint of menthol. Much more approachable than Dunn wines in the past signifying a significant stylistic change. Have to wonder if Randy Dunn is allowing his son Mike much more control in the winemaking decisions. Best Dunn wine ever, which is saying something given the fact that I was years premature in opening this vintage. 96 now but I suspect in time the score will be even higher, reflecting an absolutely epic wine.
Decanted for an hour and drank over two hours. A little lighter and more muted than expected out of the gate. Forest floor, mushroom, raspberry, cherry nose. Muted palate to start, but after 20 minutes in glass it rounded out with the fruit flavor shining through along with a touch of cigar box and eucalyptus. Fine tannins, cool flavors, and a medium finish. First Dunn and really enjoyed it. Not as in your face powerful as many naps cabs. Refined, elegant, and pure. Will be fun to drink these over time. 2015 vintage character seems lovely - fresh, bright, and an interesting journey from first sip to last. I’m realizing that I don’t know enough about scoring and don’t have a consistent scale so until I do I won’t “score” a wine, but this was really great and unique.
First, not nearly as tannic as legend would have it. May be vintage dependent, but with 2 hours of air, this wine is complex, refined and elegant. Raspberry. Leather, graphite and cherry on the nose. Great balance on the palate. Refined, but not overwhelming tannins. Minerality shows through on the finish. I have 5 more bottles so it will be fun to watch it age, but there is no problem popping on of these right now!
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4/19/2024 - wineotim wrote: 93 Points
Oh how I loved the '09, 10, 12, & 13. This one is a bit less than those, it still has that weightless but intense feel, but the concentration lacks. Nicely complex with peet and earth notes, but nose is not as expressive as the palate.
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2/17/2024 - tobyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Impenetrable dark colour. Both intricate and compounded with menthol and paprika. Fleshy and dark fruit, graphite and dried lavender. High on tannins, extremely intense and dense but balanced and harmonious. Lengthy refined finish. Very good now but definitely a keeper.
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4/9/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
One hour decant. Deep dark magenta color. Blackberry, fig, milk chocolate, mushroom, and subtle brown sugar. Very smooth, dry palate, with tongue coating acidity. Firm, lower intensity tannins on the longish finish.
This is absolutely a Bordeaux-leaning Napa CS. It went terrific with our food at Angele in Napa. It became more expressive over an hour of drinking. My lady friend would have rated this two points higher, if that matters to anyone. She thoroughly enjoyed this.
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10/3/2022 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pop and pour. Better on day 2.
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5/15/2022 - JJB007 wrote: 88 Points
Not quite a 90
Was served at room temperature though
I like it a bit chilled
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2/6/2022 - J+B_Wines Likes this wine: 95 Points
A bit young
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7/16/2021 - Kavine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Look forward to this since I have loved the younger vintages. Stayed in the decanter for 2 1/2 hours by the time I finished it. Definitely carried some minerality and minor Bordeaux style dryness. Fruit was not excessive though expected more considering this is a NAPA benchmark style wine. Accompanied a nice steak meal - perfect setting for a nice combo. Priced lower than its other vintages but would not buy this one again.
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6/5/2021 - TXRDW wrote: 94 Points
Such a well crafted wine. I’ve learned with Dunns that if you’re going to drink them young you better allow several hours of slow ox or decanting to let the wine open up. In this case after uncorking 5 hours earlier I was rewarded with a massive and full bodied wine with exceptional tannins and a lingering finish with dark, fresh mountain fruit. This wine was the perfect pairing with short ribs. Definitely a great Dunn vintage.
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5/20/2021 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet and purple colored, medium full bodied, at six years, this was surprisingly approachable with its concentrated full bright expressive fruits of black currant and black berry fruits with hints of spicy clove, smoke and notes of sweet tobacco, creme de cassis and what I initially thought of as 'menthol' but later realized it was what one of the pundits called camphor, turning to supple tannins on big finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/05/dunn-vineyards-howell-mtn-cabernet.html
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4/16/2021 - BCFrench1527 Likes this wine: 95 Points
What is it: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from 60% Coombsville and 40% Howell Mountain vineyards. 100% new oak for 32 months. 13.9% (!!!) ABV
Nose: Explosively aromatic though not quite room-filling like some Burgundy has been. Black cherry, black currant, red currant, almost luxardo cherry like richness, iron, cigar box, vanilla toasty oak. It smells ripe while maintaining freshness which is something I love about mountaintop cabernet.
Palate: Balanced mouthfeel despite the ripeness and oak. Acid is pleasantly med-high, tannins are just starting to integrate. Black currant, vanilla toasty oak, black cherry, and a bit of chalky minerality. It's weird to have a cab that tastes black and red rather than black and blue like Ridge or Heitz (that may have made more sense in my head).
Takeaway: If literally every California cab could be like this I'd be so happy. It pays clear tribute to Bordeaux while also being distinctly Napa, and this convinces me to do a bit of a backfill of Howell Mountain cabernet now. 5/5
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3/9/2021 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Very firm and young. Good chalky core of fruit, vertical build. Classy. Wait 5+ years
#zoom#MikeDunn
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3/6/2021 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 94 Points
3 hour decant. Beautiful wine. Medium-bodied. Mint, rocks, black cherry on the nose. Drinks more like a Pinot than a cab. Well-balanced palate and finish. For high-end Napa cab, at $130/bottle, this is great value.
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11/23/2020 - Andre Brattland wrote: 94 Points
Rich and powerful, yet in an excellently refined way. Nice fruit of darker red berries, mushrooms, vanilla beans, perfume and summer meadow. Rich and powerful wine with a nice tight fruit core with darker red berries, light wood, hints of vanilla and spices that spread lots of joy. Nicely, almost a little herbal spice tones are behind and teasing. Really structured. Long, slightly dense finish, but this is really a wine that will withstand storage. Excellent American for the next 15-20 years! 94 points.
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10/2/2020 - Miceri Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark purple red; deep intense dark fruit, plum, licorice; soft rich intense deep, chocolate, not jammy, powerful but with finesse, slightly tannic dry ending; really nice
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3/9/2020 - HFLED Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really pleasant wine that will sing with a couple of more years. Nicely balanced, some raspberry jam, touch of tobacco and earth. Really a pleasant wine that should open up more in 3-5 years.
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8/23/2019 - TXRDW wrote: 96 Points
Dark fruit, yet very fresh with a distinct hint of menthol. Much more approachable than Dunn wines in the past signifying a significant stylistic change. Have to wonder if Randy Dunn is allowing his son Mike much more control in the winemaking decisions. Best Dunn wine ever, which is saying something given the fact that I was years premature in opening this vintage. 96 now but I suspect in time the score will be even higher, reflecting an absolutely epic wine.
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12/14/2018 - JCfromSF Likes this wine:
Decanted for an hour and drank over two hours. A little lighter and more muted than expected out of the gate. Forest floor, mushroom, raspberry, cherry nose. Muted palate to start, but after 20 minutes in glass it rounded out with the fruit flavor shining through along with a touch of cigar box and eucalyptus. Fine tannins, cool flavors, and a medium finish. First Dunn and really enjoyed it. Not as in your face powerful as many naps cabs. Refined, elegant, and pure. Will be fun to drink these over time. 2015 vintage character seems lovely - fresh, bright, and an interesting journey from first sip to last. I’m realizing that I don’t know enough about scoring and don’t have a consistent scale so until I do I won’t “score” a wine, but this was really great and unique.
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12/8/2018 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 92 Points
First, not nearly as tannic as legend would have it. May be vintage dependent, but with 2 hours of air, this wine is complex, refined and elegant. Raspberry. Leather, graphite and cherry on the nose. Great balance on the palate. Refined, but not overwhelming tannins. Minerality shows through on the finish. I have 5 more bottles so it will be fun to watch it age, but there is no problem popping on of these right now!
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