I really enjoyed this but wasn’t a typical Dunn for me. Excellent traditional California Cabernet, but without the intense tannins I am used to from Dunn. Surprising approachable with a 1 hour decant
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PNP. Inky purple red color and similar flavors. Super fresh fruit with some acidity and tannins, already approachable. Enjoyable but still a little young for me. Should do better with another 5-10 years in bottle.
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Napa evening with one bottle of Bordeaux (semiblind):
2016 Dunn Howell Mountain: A bit thin, lacking power. I have only had the 2013 before, but it was better. Wait 5 years or so: 92 pts. 2017 Beringer Private Reserve: A really good wine with depth and seductive fruit, without being over the top. 95 pts 2018 Gallica - I really liked the 2008 but the 2018 was just so-so: 91 pts 2019 Chateau Issan: Not convincing. Loved the 2018 but the 2019 did not deliver. 90 pts.
All bottles were opened 5 days in advance and then decanted before dinner. They all improved during our dinner.
Too young. Very tight, a bit ripe still. Dunn’s are made for the patient person, so wait till the 10 year mark for the true complexity to come out.
Tasted before we opened an 11 year old Cimarossa Rian Vineyard, and that was far better.
Do I think this will be better with time? Absolutely; great vintage, great fruit, great winemaker. But right now it’s just not showing enough complexity. The fruit at least is outstanding, just a touch ripe for my palate (I prefer mid-age fruit)
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One hour decant. Deep dark lush magenta color. Plum, prailine, sage, licorice, mushroom, and subtle milk chocolate and minerality. Smooth, tongue drying palate. Firm, lower intensity tannins on the longish finish.
Absolutely a Bordeaux-leaning Napa, which is not my style, but this is very well made. Would have been even better with a 3+ hour decant. Went perfectly with my duck at Torc in Napa.
Get together with a friend and decided to put the 2008 vintage next to the 2016 vintage to see how they compare. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, dark cherry, and plum. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth/concentration. Nice flavors of cassis, some spice, cocoa, plum, and a mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish but a little tannic. Decanted for a couple hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. A nice wine but I was hoping for more in light of the 99 rating from Dunnuck - although some improvement is expected with more time in consideration of the source and producer. In my opinion, closer to the 95 rating from WS and Galloni at least at this stage. 100% cab.
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Napa Valley - November 2022; 11/16/2022-11/19/2022 (Napa Valley): Tasted at Dunn property on the mountain with Mike Dunn. The 2016 Howell was at the top of the wines tasted on the trip for all four of us. Nose of cola and plums. Palate brought baking spice, blackberry and more plum prior to a very long finish. The mouthfeel was very smooth with fine tannins with nice acidity. Very approachable - definitely more so than the 2018 which is also a great wine but will respectively need more time.
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Most vintages of Dunn Howell Mountain fit the profile of my favorite wines: vertically structured with balanced acids, medium(+) body, moderate ABV, a pronounced nose, zero hint of over-ripeness, judicious oak, a finish that won't quit, and aroma and flavor profiles heavy on the graphite, herbs, and chocolate as well as intense mountain fruit. The 2016 has all that going for it plus more elegant, softer tannins and a more open posture than these wines typically offer in their youth. Peak drinking is still 10-20+ years off, but the combo of a 4-hour decant and appropriate food pairing worked just fine today. Delicious.
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Cut from the same cloth as the 2012, the 16 Dunn Howell mountain shows more black tea, blackberry compote and a refined structure that begs for bottle time. It needs a long decant to soften or a good 10 years sideways before accessing.
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Crazy good. Too young to drink now, but strong tannins and acidic backbone show what is to come for this beauty. W-dad at Le Bar Beouf. 95 now, with massive upside for the patient.
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Brought to Duke's Chophouse in Hickory NC by good wine friends. Highly recommend with the caveat that this is still very young. Approachable with a long decant but at this point more hold then drink - with proper cellaring this has easily 15+ more years to go and right now even with a long decant is probably at least 2-3 years away from true maturity. I can very easily see an additional at least 1-2 points with further maturation, softening and integration. Having said that this is already stellar. Almost inky black, no peripheral bricking, full bodied, surprisingly complex already and with a surprisingly soft mouth feel given stage of development which probably speaks to the altitude of the grapes. Lovely long lingering mouth feel. Big dark intense aromatic nose of dark fruit, smoke, brambles, blackberry, red cherry and a note of floral wildflowers. Well balanced but consistently present tannins through out the flavor profile. Oak already balanced with up front dark stone fryit, cassis and blueberry with more nuanced cigar box, leather and grilled meat on the finish. This is a very serious wine, one of the consistent Napa Valley masterpieces, and shows why Randy Dunn has the reputation as a wine maker that he has.
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Dunn's 2016 Howell Mountain is lovely, cool, and understated with a nose of blueberry, graphite, lavender, and cedar. Accessible for a Dunn of this age, fine tannins and regal, drink starting 2025.
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Decanted for 2 hours then poured back into bottle left open for 4 more hours. Nose of blackberry, currant, pencil, green pepper and violets. Tastes of dark fruit with accents of savory green herbs, stony mineral, cedar, and dust. Medium acidity and medium plus tannins. Long finish. Serial tasting at this stage suggests 3-5 hours of air required to open fully.
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Brief notes from memory. Deep ruby. Loads of fruit, black fruits, blueberries, cassis and cedar. Brooding yet shockingly approachable with soft tannins, finishing quite long. Yes this is way too young but already showing well.
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Cab franc-ish nose and up front, flowers and black fruit and bell pepper. Concentrated, thick, not particularly complex core. Finishes long on both tannin and acidity. Not bad but I got way thrown off thinking this was a $30-$40 Chinon rather than a $150 Napa Cab... maybe that shows I should just stick to Pinot...
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Nose: Elegant perfumed nose of blackberry, cassis, violets and pencil. Great dark mountain fruit and fresh herb notes to balance. Palate: the rolls royce of HM this enters with brooding presence and elegant intensity. Blueberry, blackberry, pencil, pine tar, fig tart, and seamless edges. Striking acidity as always. Finish: perfumed and dark fruited with over 45 seconds of length.
Too young? Sure. However, I found this shockingly approachable. Years ahead and a clear reference point for HM canernet as always.
Nose The wine is developing and offers pronounced aromas of violets, blackberry, black cherry, black plum, currant, green bell pepper, cassis, vanilla, cedar, tobacco leaf, and dusty stones.
Palate The wine is dry with a full body, high acid, high tannins, medium alcohol, and exhibiting pronounced developing flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black plum, currant, bell pepper, savory herbs, vanilla, cocoa, and dusty minerals with a long finish.
Conclusion The quality of this wine is outstanding. As is typical with this robust mountain cab, it's high in acid and tannins, which will give it incredible longevity and development power. Love that Dunn keeps the alcohol below 14%, which I think helps bring out the fruit flavors more compared to higher alcohol cabs. This one punches as well as cabs two and three times its price. Lingered on my palate well over a minute. Love it. But this one needs a lot more time in the bottle. Life and wine are good!
Very nice full bodied easy drinker. Balance tended toward sweet could use a bit more acidity. Big ripe fruit with no apparent oak. Just lacks complexity to get higher than 92. Great drinker but expensive for what it is.
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Cool, dry, firm on the nose. A true Cab, blackberry here, hints of mint. Much more juicy and forward than the 2017, actually enjoyable - albeit much too young, of course. #zoom#MikeDunn
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Dunn Estate Tasting: It's amazing what a difference two years can make! Compared to the 2014, the 2016 Howell Mountain feels too young to drink today. Its window is not far off: it has the same (relative) ripeness and silky tannins that will provide ample drinking pleasure as soon as 2023, at which point its concentrated mountain fruit will absolutely dazzle. Over the long term, I think the layers of flavor evident even now will make this vintage a modern classic. Absolutely stunning.
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Tart, lighter red fruit, cedar wood, earthy, cranberry, pomegranate. Very young. When I first opened the wine it was like tasting a fruit months before it was ripe. I slow oxed for seven hours followed by a one hour decant. The wine was substantially better, but still not ready. However, it was remarkably balanced and showed great potential. As with all Dunn wines, best not to drink so young.
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Slightly smoother, richer after 24 hrs of slow ox; less tannic and beastly; profile of blackberry jam, oak, cassis, slightly spicy finish. Has stuffing to go distance. Rated up slightly today vs yesterday.
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13.9% abv. Dark berry purple color, light rim. Opened and slow ox for 3hrs. Macerated berries and cherries, oak, loamy earth. Touch of alcohol on nose, which is surprising given relatively low alc. Acid and tannic grip are prominent. Med plus plus in mouth and quite long. Not too many layers at this point, mostly wall of berries, wood, clove and dirt. Definitely built to last. Will test again over next 2 days.
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Still young and tannic but with a steak and baked potato, and a 2 hour decant, all is well. Complex nose of pepper, graphite, plum, blackberry. Palate: great with food, but still quite grippy. Lengthy finish. I know these wines are supposed to lay down for decades, but it is fun to test one when young. The 2015 was more integrated at this phase.
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9/10/2023 - jhw425 wrote: 92 Points
I really enjoyed this but wasn’t a typical Dunn for me. Excellent traditional California Cabernet, but without the intense tannins I am used to from Dunn. Surprising approachable with a 1 hour decant
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7/10/2023 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 92 Points
PNP. Inky purple red color and similar flavors. Super fresh fruit with some acidity and tannins, already approachable. Enjoyable but still a little young for me. Should do better with another 5-10 years in bottle.
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5/27/2023 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
Napa evening with one bottle of Bordeaux (semiblind):
2016 Dunn Howell Mountain: A bit thin, lacking power. I have only had the 2013 before, but it was better. Wait 5 years or so: 92 pts.
2017 Beringer Private Reserve: A really good wine with depth and seductive fruit, without being over the top. 95 pts
2018 Gallica - I really liked the 2008 but the 2018 was just so-so: 91 pts
2019 Chateau Issan: Not convincing. Loved the 2018 but the 2019 did not deliver. 90 pts.
All bottles were opened 5 days in advance and then decanted before dinner. They all improved during our dinner.
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4/13/2023 - AboveAvgBro wrote: 90 Points
2+ hour decant
Too young. Very tight, a bit ripe still. Dunn’s are made for the patient person, so wait till the 10 year mark for the true complexity to come out.
Tasted before we opened an 11 year old Cimarossa Rian Vineyard, and that was far better.
Do I think this will be better with time? Absolutely; great vintage, great fruit, great winemaker. But right now it’s just not showing enough complexity. The fruit at least is outstanding, just a touch ripe for my palate (I prefer mid-age fruit)
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4/11/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 95 Points
One hour decant. Deep dark lush magenta color. Plum, prailine, sage, licorice, mushroom, and subtle milk chocolate and minerality. Smooth, tongue drying palate. Firm, lower intensity tannins on the longish finish.
Absolutely a Bordeaux-leaning Napa, which is not my style, but this is very well made. Would have been even better with a 3+ hour decant. Went perfectly with my duck at Torc in Napa.
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3/31/2023 - D N Vickers wrote: 88 Points
Too young; should have waited a few years
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3/9/2023 - Capman wrote: 95 Points
Dark ruby Decanted for a hour and opened great Got better as night went on Hold for future opening Always a go to for a special dinner
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11/29/2022 - Badmonkey wrote: 94 Points
Get together with a friend and decided to put the 2008 vintage next to the 2016 vintage to see how they compare. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, dark cherry, and plum. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth/concentration. Nice flavors of cassis, some spice, cocoa, plum, and a mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish but a little tannic. Decanted for a couple hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. A nice wine but I was hoping for more in light of the 99 rating from Dunnuck - although some improvement is expected with more time in consideration of the source and producer. In my opinion, closer to the 95 rating from WS and Galloni at least at this stage. 100% cab.
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11/18/2022 - PghMike Likes this wine: 97 Points
Napa Valley - November 2022; 11/16/2022-11/19/2022 (Napa Valley): Tasted at Dunn property on the mountain with Mike Dunn. The 2016 Howell was at the top of the wines tasted on the trip for all four of us. Nose of cola and plums. Palate brought baking spice, blackberry and more plum prior to a very long finish. The mouthfeel was very smooth with fine tannins with nice acidity. Very approachable - definitely more so than the 2018 which is also a great wine but will respectively need more time.
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8/29/2022 - rkww Likes this wine: 97 Points
Most vintages of Dunn Howell Mountain fit the profile of my favorite wines: vertically structured with balanced acids, medium(+) body, moderate ABV, a pronounced nose, zero hint of over-ripeness, judicious oak, a finish that won't quit, and aroma and flavor profiles heavy on the graphite, herbs, and chocolate as well as intense mountain fruit. The 2016 has all that going for it plus more elegant, softer tannins and a more open posture than these wines typically offer in their youth. Peak drinking is still 10-20+ years off, but the combo of a 4-hour decant and appropriate food pairing worked just fine today. Delicious.
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8/24/2022 - jviz wrote: 95 Points
Cut from the same cloth as the 2012, the 16 Dunn Howell mountain shows more black tea, blackberry compote and a refined structure that begs for bottle time. It needs a long decant to soften or a good 10 years sideways before accessing.
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5/12/2022 - stschutz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Crazy good. Too young to drink now, but strong tannins and acidic backbone show what is to come for this beauty. W-dad at Le Bar Beouf.
95 now, with massive upside for the patient.
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4/9/2022 - ikkaariainen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brought to Duke's Chophouse in Hickory NC by good wine friends. Highly recommend with the caveat that this is still very young. Approachable with a long decant but at this point more hold then drink - with proper cellaring this has easily 15+ more years to go and right now even with a long decant is probably at least 2-3 years away from true maturity. I can very easily see an additional at least 1-2 points with further maturation, softening and integration. Having said that this is already stellar. Almost inky black, no peripheral bricking, full bodied, surprisingly complex already and with a surprisingly soft mouth feel given stage of development which probably speaks to the altitude of the grapes. Lovely long lingering mouth feel. Big dark intense aromatic nose of dark fruit, smoke, brambles, blackberry, red cherry and a note of floral wildflowers. Well balanced but consistently present tannins through out the flavor profile. Oak already balanced with up front dark stone fryit, cassis and blueberry with more nuanced cigar box, leather and grilled meat on the finish. This is a very serious wine, one of the consistent Napa Valley masterpieces, and shows why Randy Dunn has the reputation as a wine maker that he has.
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3/5/2022 - rlove wrote: 92 Points
Dunn's 2016 Howell Mountain is lovely, cool, and understated with a nose of blueberry, graphite, lavender, and cedar. Accessible for a Dunn of this age, fine tannins and regal, drink starting 2025.
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2/13/2022 - JR_Boston wrote: 91 Points
Still young, needs another 4-5 years in bottle
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2/4/2022 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon, although still very young.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, tobacco, peppercorn, chocolates, graphite and dark coffee.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Medium plus on the finish with grippy tannins and tangy cherries.
Good right out of the bottle and better after 2 hours of airtime.
Not very big, but it's nice to see this moderate alcohol version of a Napa Cabernet.
Wine Spectator 95 points.
Already drinking beautifully, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Tasty and spicy. Delicious and engaging.
Good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with BBQ Meats.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged for 32 months in (100% new) French oak barrels.
13.9% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$150.
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1/30/2022 - ralaspech wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours then poured back into bottle left open for 4 more hours. Nose of blackberry, currant, pencil, green pepper and violets. Tastes of dark fruit with accents of savory green herbs, stony mineral, cedar, and dust. Medium acidity and medium plus tannins. Long finish. Serial tasting at this stage suggests 3-5 hours of air required to open fully.
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1/27/2022 - boston617 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very nice deep blueberry and caramel notes.
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12/24/2021 - frenchiecagowine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brief notes from memory. Deep ruby. Loads of fruit, black fruits, blueberries, cassis and cedar. Brooding yet shockingly approachable with soft tannins, finishing quite long. Yes this is way too young but already showing well.
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12/24/2021 - oropeza wrote:
Cab franc-ish nose and up front, flowers and black fruit and bell pepper. Concentrated, thick, not particularly complex core. Finishes long on both tannin and acidity. Not bad but I got way thrown off thinking this was a $30-$40 Chinon rather than a $150 Napa Cab... maybe that shows I should just stick to Pinot...
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6/26/2021 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Nose: Elegant perfumed nose of blackberry, cassis, violets and pencil. Great dark mountain fruit and fresh herb notes to balance. Palate: the rolls royce of HM this enters with brooding presence and elegant intensity. Blueberry, blackberry, pencil, pine tar, fig tart, and seamless edges. Striking acidity as always. Finish: perfumed and dark fruited with over 45 seconds of length.
Too young? Sure. However, I found this shockingly approachable. Years ahead and a clear reference point for HM canernet as always.
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6/24/2021 - Libbidog Likes this wine: 96 Points
Appearance
The wine is a clear deep ruby.
Nose
The wine is developing and offers pronounced aromas of violets, blackberry, black cherry, black plum, currant, green bell pepper, cassis, vanilla, cedar, tobacco leaf, and dusty stones.
Palate
The wine is dry with a full body, high acid, high tannins, medium alcohol, and exhibiting pronounced developing flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black plum, currant, bell pepper, savory herbs, vanilla, cocoa, and dusty minerals with a long finish.
Conclusion
The quality of this wine is outstanding. As is typical with this robust mountain cab, it's high in acid and tannins, which will give it incredible longevity and development power. Love that Dunn keeps the alcohol below 14%, which I think helps bring out the fruit flavors more compared to higher alcohol cabs. This one punches as well as cabs two and three times its price. Lingered on my palate well over a minute.
Love it. But this one needs a lot more time in the bottle. Life and wine are good!
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5/2/2021 - Brew4711 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice full bodied easy drinker. Balance tended toward sweet could use a bit more acidity. Big ripe fruit with no apparent oak. Just lacks complexity to get higher than 92. Great drinker but expensive for what it is.
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4/2/2021 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine: 95 Points
First time w Dunn. Bold, approachable, dark fruits, med tannins, smooth- drinking well now and curious how this will age. I thought it was great.
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3/9/2021 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Cool, dry, firm on the nose. A true Cab, blackberry here, hints of mint. Much more juicy and forward than the 2017, actually enjoyable - albeit much too young, of course.
#zoom#MikeDunn
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2/11/2021 - rkww Likes this wine: 99 Points
Dunn Estate Tasting: It's amazing what a difference two years can make! Compared to the 2014, the 2016 Howell Mountain feels too young to drink today. Its window is not far off: it has the same (relative) ripeness and silky tannins that will provide ample drinking pleasure as soon as 2023, at which point its concentrated mountain fruit will absolutely dazzle. Over the long term, I think the layers of flavor evident even now will make this vintage a modern classic. Absolutely stunning.
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12/12/2020 - TXRDW wrote: 94 Points
Tart, lighter red fruit, cedar wood, earthy, cranberry, pomegranate. Very young. When I first opened the wine it was like tasting a fruit months before it was ripe. I slow oxed for seven hours followed by a one hour decant. The wine was substantially better, but still not ready. However, it was remarkably balanced and showed great potential. As with all Dunn wines, best not to drink so young.
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2/22/2020 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slightly smoother, richer after 24 hrs of slow ox; less tannic and beastly; profile of blackberry jam, oak, cassis, slightly spicy finish. Has stuffing to go distance. Rated up slightly today vs yesterday.
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2/21/2020 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 93 Points
13.9% abv. Dark berry purple color, light rim. Opened and slow ox for 3hrs. Macerated berries and cherries, oak, loamy earth. Touch of alcohol on nose, which is surprising given relatively low alc. Acid and tannic grip are prominent. Med plus plus in mouth and quite long. Not too many layers at this point, mostly wall of berries, wood, clove and dirt. Definitely built to last. Will test again over next 2 days.
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12/7/2019 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still young and tannic but with a steak and baked potato, and a 2 hour decant, all is well. Complex nose of pepper, graphite, plum, blackberry. Palate: great with food, but still quite grippy. Lengthy finish. I know these wines are supposed to lay down for decades, but it is fun to test one when young. The 2015 was more integrated at this phase.
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