Very slight pleasantly vegetal nose, full mouth that is saturated with fleshy plums and cherries and graphite; good length that turns a tiny bit strident.
I can see this wine becoming less and therefore more subtle, but it doesn’t seem like that’s gonna make it better.
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When just opened, this had a liquorice note together with quite ripe fruit. After a while, the wine became more serious, with ripe blackberry, dark cherry, cassis, cedar, fully integrated tannins and a medium + length finish.
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WB DC Offline - Mostly Napa (Bistrot Lepic): Deep garnet, cherries and cedar on the nose. On the palate high acidity, medium alcohol medium body, cherries and black raspberries. Kept getting better all night. A lighter touch than most of the other wines in the lineup which shows through.
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once again Dunn Howell Mountain does not disappoint. this was a sexy and seductive wine with still relatively big rich fruity punch flavors (and I suspect some residual sugar).
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Ethereally lovely, youthful, fresh. Strong cassis initially, bright and youthful shifts to slightly more savoury and secondary, olive tapenade, soy, but then brightens up again around the 3 hour mark to reveal Amarene cherries and sweet umami truffled notes. Altogether lovely. Complete impulse open but glad I did perfect place. Tannins quite seemlessly integrated now.
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A very nice mature cab with concentrated dark fruit, black raspberry, cherry, plum with notes of underbrush and oak. The tannins are soft and well integrated and finish is long and satisfying. Paired with grilled marinated antelope loin steaks - beautiful combo. Sadly, my only bottle.
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Deep Ruby Pronounced aromas and flavors intensity of dark forest fruits, oak-vanilla, leather, forest floors, Developed, Dry, high acidity, med tannins, med+ body, long aftertaste, good complexity
Can drink now or within 2-4 years.
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Good Wine with an Exciting Super Bowl (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Small glass, brief note. Rich black fruit with plenty of firm structure, but open and enticing in the manner of a good mid-aged Bordeaux. Very charming, this is just entering its peak drinking window, and should drink well for close to two decades from now.
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Black fruit, deep black color. Lovely bouquet of mountain fruit, sweet blackberries, and nuanced oak. Tannin fully integrated, very smooth through the palate. Finish a little thinner than anticipated but still very fine. On the up-curve toward its peak yet very nice now.
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How can this wine be so brawny and so balanced at once? It’s like dollop of black cherry compote, flavored with pine and sage, wrapped tight in cellophane. Juicy, but not sloppy. Loads of lovely secondary flavors like wild mushrooms, smoke and some meatiness. Contained, aromatic, long on the finish. I love this wine and I can’t believe it’s older than my cousin who’s a junior in college.
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Would guess St. Esteph if blind. Pretty much all secondary flavors and scents. A little brett. If you are looking for Napa-like fruit forward Cab, this is not it. If you are looking for soft tannins, earth, cedar....this is it. Still has 10 years of life left, maybe more.
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this was beautiful, thank goodness cuz I saw my note from June which said wait ten years!, anyway, this was on the red side vis-a-vis fruit, with nice acidity for lift, and some nice spice / umami element (pretty prominent) to provide complexity... nonetheless it was an enjoyable drink with full-minus body (and not 'too big' as my last note would have suggested
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Drank for my middle daughter’s pre-graduation ceremony dinner. 4 hr slow ox did the trick. Simply gorgeous. Oak and tannins have receded. Expressive red fruited beauty, with camphor/eucalyptus, forest floor, wet rock, burning embers. Blind you pick Dunn if you know Dunn and this is no different. Plenty of acid left to go many more years,
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even after 2-3 hours in decanter, this still seemed a tad bit big / brutish / dark, it is Dunn Howell so maybe not a surprise, but feels like its possible it is going to be that way (maybe a little less over time) forever, certainly would suggest waiting another 5-10 years to try it, hopefully it can bring a tiny bit of elegance alongside its big structure / fruit... we'll see
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Through an aerator and into a decanter for 3 hours. It took all of that to fully open. Loads of overripe black fruits. Some black currant, underbrush, vanilla Oak, cedar, and just the right amount of acidity. Still young and I'd say drink to 2030.
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Kevin like it 94 wise but I found it big and fleshy and not mature, and I’m writing this note. Very big nose and mouth, moderate length. Plump cherries and plums and graphite.
Perhaps wait until 2023 for the next one.
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Needed an hour of air and to come to room temp to open up; also was markedly better from a Somm stem.
Extremely dusty and dry, w earth, leather, and dark red fruit. My last bottle and everyone was VERY pleased with how this paired w beef Wellington. Personally I would not hang on to these much longer, though. Few year may have been shaved off its life from multiple moves.
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Melt the wax with kitchen torch, scrape the wax and PnP with wine poured with built in filter (best thing ever). Dark, smooth, scent of anise. Soooooo good. Perfect texture/mouthfeel. It would be a perfect wine of it were more complex. It's just plain good.
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Definately drinks like a classic, aged Dunn with a Bordeaux-like nose of earth, old leather and crushed stone. This shows its age (and possible impact from 3 x-country moves as noted earlier). 2.5 hours after opening (not decanted) there’s a sweetness to the little bit of fruit remaining. While this may have more life remaining for others, I’ll try to drink my remaining bottle over the Holidays.
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Deep red. Nose is quite restrained.. tar deep fruit but not overly rich. Sweet cassis. Cedar. Mid weight, tannin medium, smooth grippy. Long finish. Complex.
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This bottle shined for a bit then closed down somewhat, becoming 65% of its former self. No signs of fading, so perhaps wait a few years for the next one.
Try next in 2022.
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Complex bouquet with sweet spices and beautiful dark berries. On the palate lush and sweet, juicy dark berries, good acidity and round tannin. Very tempting wine.
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Blueberries, blackberries, plums, black raspberries, black cherries, leather, licorice, minerals, and hints of coffee in the nose. Deep rich fruit in the flavor, black currants, blackberries, and licorice. Full bodied wine though a bit more "refined" than some other vintages. Still, nice complexity and a long finish.
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Great clarity, opaque and ruby to garnet hues from rim to robe. Smells are menthol, cherries, currant, dark spices and earthy notes. Tastes are currants, tart cherry, tobacco, herbs, black olive, and earth. Abundant acidity and course, satiny tannins.
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Bro-rolo's 2018 Masters Bro-down; 4/1/2018-4/8/2018 (Augusta, GA): I saw Tiger again...this time on the 17th tee...I overheard him tell his caddy how much he loved Caymus special selection...that's loser talk...winners drink vintage Dunn Howell Mountain...I guess Tiger has decided his next victory will be coming on the Champions Tour...
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Kitchen torch to melt the wax, then PnP. So good. Blackberries, black cherries and a hint of cedar. Fruit before earth, but so balanced. At such a good place of smooth tannin with some youthfulness, but mellowed. Outstanding.
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Deep dark center, red rim with some of age. Sweet, brandied plums and blackberries, ripe and sinewy, hints of green pepper and sealing wax. Smooth, raspberries, wonderful balance between lusciousness and taughtness, essence of red fruits on a platform of solid stone, some toasty oak, some well integrated greenness, good acidity and tannin still (bodes well for the future), fantastic length of mature red fruit and black olives. Wonderful Dunn, drinking well now, good life ahead.
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2002 DUNN VINEYARDS HOWELL MOUNTAIN NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- this was a fabulous bottle giving so much joy and tactile pleasure; it had much more finesse than power which gave it a nice degree of elegance; I got minty blackberry fruit with additional accents of cedar, cigar box and liquorice; the tannins were firm but easy on the palate; another candidate for WOTN.
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Deep garnet color, slight haze, and darkly hued color. Smells are smoke, tar, currants, blackberry, iodine, black olive, wet stone, and cedar. The tastes are tar, smoke, olive, meaty notes, peppery spices, dark chocolate, and cedar. A little hot (alcohol) but tight powerful furry tannins. Begs for juicy fatty steak or lamb.
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Deep purple. Complex aromas of cassis, mint, eucalyptus, spice and earth. Full bodied with a medium+ level of silky, resolved tannins, medium+ acidity and deeply complex, persistent flavors.
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Opened two bottles, after I suspected the first was mildly corked. Excellent wine, similar to my other notes on Randy's HM wines. The mildly corked wine mostly differed on the nose (very slight) and the fruit on the early palate, but overall a very well balanced, well made wine.
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Drank from a magnum. Great depth with tobacco, combination of milk and dark chocolate, blue fruits and black fruits with no red fruit qualities. Long finish. Color was dark purple. Drinking well now.
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A dark ruby red wine with the first signs of bricking on the edges. Very complex nose earthy with hints of cedar and black fruits. On the palate this is a very well structured wine with steely tannins. The fruit is fairly muted but the structure and complexity help carry it. The finish is smooth and long. This is a bit of a restrained Dunn really good but not a powerhouse
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Classic Dunn nose, heavy on tea leaves and old oak barrels. Was uncorked and allowed to air 45 mins before opening at a restaurant 30 mins later.
A bit past its peak, but this was purchased on 2ndary Mkt and moved 3x, so which may have impacted aging. Dominant red fruit, faint tobacco, hint of herb. Structure is fading, drink up, not rated.
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A nice age-worthy Napa Cab. Decanted for two hours. The youthful black fruit (cassis) is still there and wonderful tertiary aromas are coming on - mushroom, truffle, leather. This is fabulous now and should continue to gain complexity for 5+ more years.
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After 1 hour in the decanter still fairly tight. A deep dark ruby red, the nose is very earthy and herbal. On the palate it's still very tannic not really as integrated or smooth as I would like. May need more time.
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Beautiful garnet. Showing no oxidative browning at all. Slight oak on the nose, but in a pleasant mannor. Up front, you are hit with wonderful cherry. Long, even mid and late palate. Great wine for 12 yo cali cab.
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Had this wine along with other reds silver oak and Bell Clone 6 the Dunn was exceptional from the nose to the finish Opened a 2003 and found it also excellent
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Color is dark black-garnet and deeply colored and opaque. Their is a deep garnet hue to the rim too. The smells are currant, blackberry, dark chocolate, soy, cedar and tobacco. The tastes are earhty notes with dry leaves, blackberry, currants, dark cherry, soy, cedar, espresso, and dust. The tannins are fine but very dry and there is noteworthy zing on the long earrhy finish.
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6 years ago I said I should next try in 2 years....guess I waited a little longer than expected, but in a good place if handled appropriately. From Somm stems. Right out of the bottle this seemed overly sweet; within an hour the sweetness began to tame and after 2.5 hours this was in a great place. Never decanted, so the wine can soften faster with a decant. Bing cherry, sweet tannin, faint black pepper, and saddle leather on the nose. Medium-light weight prompts me to narrow the drinking window to 2016/2017. Will try another bottle in 6 months to gauge if its really that soft or just variation. Red cherry, cough syrup, vanilla, toasted oak with a 25 second finish thats longer than the nose would lead one to expect.
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90-91+ Points. Tasted at "Taste of Howell Mountain" event. Aerated unknown period of time.
Restrained fresh blueberries, faint notes of dried herbs, violets and blue slate. This seemed relatively restrained and even a bit muted. There's good density here and plenty of freshness with an elegant mouthfeel. The mid-palate density and freshness suggests this may need additional aeration or more time in the cellar.
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Decanted for 2 hours. This wine is still very tannic and needs lots of air or more time in bottle. Once it opened up it had nice black fruit flavors with a intense finish.
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drank to celebrate Students Matter's big win over State of California, this was fantastic, so open for a Dunn Howell, decanted an hour and put back into bottle -- the nose and palate at this point felt tight and mostly muted fruit, opened at dinner two hours later and it had changed, gorgeous red fruit with menthol and pine on the palate, same on the nose tho the pine was on top of the fruit, great acid, tannins there but gentle… so good and nosed out the 2004 Bryant Family for me (though the guests liked the richness of the Bryant of course)
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This was an outstanding CA Cab. I would definitely decant 1-2 hours before drinking. We opened it at the beginning of Easter dinner and it was completely closed in. Literally, no flavor at all. I was worried that such an expensive bottle had gone bad. Then 1 hour later, towards the end of dinner as we pulled out the dark chocolate--wow! Totally opened up and was complex, full bodied, flavors of bing cherry. I would say it has about 2-3 years to peak. Not much longer.
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Decanted for 4 hours. This wine is still young and could have used more time to open up. I am sure this wine will continue to improve with time but even after a 4 hour decant the only thing I could get was leather, tar, and smoke. Needs the fruit to show up to balance the other flavors.
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We drank this along side of a 2001 Rudd and it kind of took a backseat. This Dunn was very good, but it didn't knock my socks off. I wish we would have decanted it longer before drinking (30 mins)
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Brought another bottle to a tasting at TO's and as usual, it was a little messy to open. The color is dark black-garnet and hints of violet color to the rim. The aromas are smoke, hoisin, tar, blueberry, blackberry, currants, cedary notes, and wet minerals. The tastes are cherry, currant, espresso, toast, vanilla, garrigue and some menthol like notes. The finish has some zing and are dusty and furry. The finish changes as time passes and is lengthy.
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Wow... very youthful appearance in glass. I know I have done a note on this wine before but I tend not to read them until after I post newer notes so as not to bias myself (makes sense to me anyways). But dang, this is inky black with youthful purple-violet hues to the rim and the color is dense and mostly opaque. The aromatics are powerful and were notable as the cork was removed. The aromas are smoke, cedar, currants, blackberry, blueberry, tar, hoisin, and earthy minerals. The tastes are blueberry, blackberry, espresso, brushy notes, cedar, vanilla, currants, toast, and menthol. The tannins are fierce but like course satin and this wine should be used as a clinic for acidity - it's one of the zingiest reds I have had. The finish lingers for well over a minute. This bottle is rocking and I don't recall having the same impression from previous bottles!
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The color is black-garnet in the glass, almost completely opaque as a faint bit of light can be seen. The color is brilliant to the edge. This wine is very aromatic and can be smelled without swirling. The smells are blackberry, currant, cherry, tar, smoke, and espresso. The tastes are cherry, currant, blackberry, black licorice, olive, dill, espresso, dark chocolate, and cedary notes. The finish is lengthy and the structure is lean but powerful. The tannins are dusty and ripe. The body is nice and not really full. This wine evolves over time and reveals different flavors as it is tasted.
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4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Rich & Dana's): Notes of black cherry, currants and cassis, along with vanilla and minerals. Full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and flavors of currants, cassis and vanilla. Long finish. 93-94 pts.
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(A-) Took about 10 minutes to blow off some funk. Once cleared, an amazing nose emerges - blue fruit, vanilla, cloves, and very faint pine needles. Cooling menthol type element even fainter. Just lovely. After about 2 hours, this really started to sing. Wonderful secondary levels of ripe cherry and casis. An oh-so-subtle hint of menthol-eucalyptus shave soap (think Proraso or Santa Maria Novella) comes through again. Beautiful. Smooth tannins. Drink or hold.
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for a young Dunn Howell Mtn this was shockingly approachable, tannins were not a problem at all -- largely receded, wine had loads of beautiful red fruits, drank alongside a Ridge Monte Bello from '95 which bested the Dunn but it held its own... in fact it felt like in 7-10 years the Dunn might mirror the Ridge MB... very primary on the palate at this point but not overdone, nice acid for sure, if it adds secondary flavors with time (and it should) it could add 2 pts to the score over time
This vintage of this wine has always seemed a bit more open than the typical reputation for a Dunn Howell Mountain. It is full bodied and has the structure to last for many years. Tannins are mellowing but still linger. Nice. Drink or Hold.
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Dunn Vineyards Winemaker Dinner (The Village Pub, Woodside, CA): Aromas of graphite, fresh mown hay and Chambord. Lovely texture on the palate with a velvety character and good body. Flavors include blackberries, graphite, stone and a touch of green herbaceousness. Excellent structure and balanced acidity. Ready to drink now.
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Drank both the 2002 and the 1998 with dinner of braised beef short rib. Both were excellent and most of the party preferred the 98 with one guest preferring the 02. The 98 had beautiful earthy nose and an amazingly smooth mouthfeel and long finish of earth, cigar box and great aged leather. Loved this wine! The 02 was very good as well but still with tons of color and dark fruit that will last another 5-10 years easily. Both great wines. 97 pts for the 98 as it has aged wonderfully and is drinking perfectly right now and 95 pts for the 02. Great job Randy Dunn!
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The color of this wine is an impenetrable dark, red-black wine that is deep red on the rim. One commonality with Dunn Howell mountain wine I have personally tasted is the immediate upfront fragrance once the wine is poured or when the cork is popped, pre-swirl if you will. The smells are black currant, smoke, cedar, camphor, and dark chocolate. The wine tastes are dark cherry and cassis, blackberry, dark chocolate, and earth. There is a lingering sweetness of fruit. The wine is power and elegance framed by noteworthy tannins and mouth watering acidity. The finish is lengthy and the body is lithe. And wow... 13.8% alcohol. Very low by today's standards but probably about as high as Mr. Dunn likes it from what I have read. Simply a great and interesting Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Simply one of the best wines we've ever had, given the reputation of Dunn to produce extremely ageworthy Cali Cabs it's strange that the reviewers did not have the foresight to see what a classic this would become - Black, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, plum, cherry, cedar, green leaf tobacco, mocha and vanilla, amazing structure and balance, integrated with years left, still tannic, but velvety smooth on the mid-palate, sweet on the finish with amazing length, extraordinary! (97 Points).
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Two consistent beautiful bottles of 02 dunn howell mtn tonight....surprised at both the softness of the wine given the hyperbole around this and how much weight it gained with an hour in decanter. So much black currant and loam with a long 60 second finish...fantastic texture....my only knock is the wine was in a way singular in terms of flavor profile but perhaps that will change with time.
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I hadn't even realized (nor would ever had guessed) that his was the same wine that I've had on two prior occasions. This bottle had almost chunky, assertive fruit; was nicely balanced but the tannins were almost non-existent...initially. However, by my third glass, The tannic structure really shined through. A totally different wine than I've previously experienced. I'm once again intrigued.
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Surprisingly tame and elegant. If you ask me, this is ready to drink. Lush fruit remains, but well balanced with chalky minerallity and soft tannins. Yes, soft, refined tannins.
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I was recently introduced to Dunn and fortunate to visit with Randy and his daughter on a recent trip to Napa. I have been told Randy's wines need to age a long time before they show their "real stuff" - and based on this bottle, I would say that must be true. Although this wine is almost 10 years old already, you would not have guessed that if blind tasting. It is clear that these wines are made to go for the long haul.
We decanted this for almost two hours. The nose was so nice, I couldn't go any longer than that without finally tasting! Great Howell Mtn fruits of blue and black berries with secondary nose of granite and currants. Much the same on the palate although a little lighter than I would have thought based on the nose. A little menthol to round out the taste. VERY smooth and sliky. The finish was the only disappointment to me. I like a nice long finish in my Cabs and this was medium at best - the only tihng keeping me from scoring higher. But overall, this was a delicious treat. It will be interesting to see how this (and my other vintages from Dunn) continues to develop over the years.
As a side note, I struggled a little with the wax capsule. I tried to open as if it was not there but still needed to wipe down with a damp cloth before removing the cork all the way (so that none of the wax flakes got into the wine). I guess I just need more practice... I can hardly wait!
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Was really looking forward to this bottle, but it was flawed. Had a distinct chemical nose and taste. Not sure if it was corked or some sort of heat damage or other contamination. The fruit seemed to still be holding up very well, so another bottle would probably be drinking well right now, but had to dump this one.
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just starting to develop an aged favor with the nice acidity. it's a delicious wine but not as spectacular as some of the other vintages i have had. paired exceptionally well with filet mignon. what some of the previous tasting notes fail to account for is the youthfulness of a wine that's nearly 10 years old because they expect so much from Dunn (and rightly so!)
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decanted very briefly, maybe 15 minutes and this bottle opened up nicely. Spice/pepper on the nose and very strong blackberry flavor. Still a limited finish compared to older Dunn's. Close to the 98 but no where near say a 97 or 01
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Two hour decant and the wine showed typical Howell Mt fruit. Not a fruit bomb and a very good example. For the guy who popped and poured, try decanting a couple of hours. This wine is not a pop and pour.
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no notes taken. i have limited experience with dunn, but this fit the typical tight, left-bank bordeaux profile i've come to expect. even after a long decant, i think this needed more time in the decanter.
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With two '97 Napa's, a Longshadows "Feather", and now this; all with the similar impression - round but not rich, balanced & integrated but not complex, smooth and pretty but almost austere and, dare I say uninteresting - I can now confidently declare that I don't fully appreciate Randy Dunn's style. They're not nearly mind-blowing or extraordinary and perhaps more perplexing, I would never in a million years, describe them as "unyielding" or "as long-lasting (read: age-worthy) as icebergs". It's clear that they're made in the old-world style and although they remind me of a well-aged wine (like 20 years aged), this one was only 9 and it required almost no decanting.
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Fairly young for a Dunn Howell Mountain, but this was not the tannic beast I expected. This tasted fresh with soft tannins beautiful fruit, great mouth feel and finish. Not overly complex, but the fruit was so nice, it was a pleasure to drink. Had at Lewnes in Annapolis.
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Big bold blue-black fruit, balanced tannins but nothing like a usual Dunn Howell Mountain. Very approachable, not super complex, much bigger than what I usually drink but restrained by Cal Cab standards. Very enjoyable.
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Never thought I could drink an 02 Dunn HM so soon.....decanted 3 hrs prior....good balance between the tannins and the fruit. This wine could use more time, but it drinks well now. Typical Dunn, blackberry, black cherry, crisp and clear, but not as complex. I wonder if the wine will evolve into something better or if this is it? If so, I am not sure if it it is worth the money.
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Enjoyed with the tasting menu at Auberge de Soleil. Delicious wine, much more approachable than I expected, given all I had heard about how long it takes hois wines to come around. Dark red, fragrant nose of black cherries, currant and stones (an almost dusty kind of aroma). Medium to full body, viscous, and powerful in a restrained kind of way; by no means over the top. Though a long future in the cellar seems a sure thing, this wine is drinking very well right now.
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Drank immediately and felt as though it was nearly at its end. Waited for about an hour and tried again. Found soft tannin but nothing much left. Drink now or not at all
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Hazy ruby core to garnet rim a bright and intense color with medium viscosity and slight staining of the tears. Exquisite aromas of semi dried black currants, red plums, rocky minerality and tertiary notes of licorice overshadowed with wintergreen. Balance between fruit and herbal aromas, particularly wintergreen, sage and tri-color pepper. On the palate, surprisingly lighter than aroma suggested with acidity, a rare steak meatiness and black cherry fruits... and more wintergreen. Drank on equinox. still wondering if that has anything to do with it. Server butchered the capsule, it was cute (note to self: pretend capsule is not there).
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Great nose, old world style, sour cherry, blue berry on the front end with a good finish, still good acidity and tannis. Getting better with time and could easily have gone longe.
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Aged firm tannins with a rich cassis finish. Great oaky finish. I tasted this as part of a vertical tasting from 2002 to 2006 at Prima Vini in Walnut Creek, CA.
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Had this bottle at local restaurant with steak and mushrooms. The son had elk. The aroma of this wine was quite outstanding. It was long on fruits and berries with a very slight hints of oak. The taste was somewhat of a different story. The initial fruit was a good match to the nose. It was very smooth and acids and tannins were in good balance. However, this taste did not linger and was followed by a "minerality" that bordered on an equivalent to licking galvanized metal. During the meal this was not a detraction as the meats added much to the flavor of the wine. Unfortunately, I cannot say the wine added nearly so much to the flavor of the meat. Considering the recommendation of this wine, I was somewhat disappointed. The son rated it an 88.
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I'm surprised at how approachabe this wine is at age 7. The nose is reticent, but the mouth is somehow elegant and elegantly full, and the length, while not fleshed out in the far back reaches of the throat, is extended in the upper palate and in its "feel". The notes are of herbal spiced red fruit and dirt - still quite primary.
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Big Boy tasting (Buzzini House): Dark in color. A little shy at first....nose of sweet berries, cocoa bean, caramel, slight redwine vinegar. Deep dark flavors, not as intense, but well balanced. A little coaxing brought out super Cab flavors, polished...still tight. "Sleeping Giant" is what I wrote down. I thought this was the Harlan? ++pts
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Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking over another 3 hours. Far softer and more approachable than any other "young" (ie < 12 years old) Dunns I've had, there was some green in the flavor profile up to 5 hours after decanting, and the tannins - while very soft, and providing an elegant, bordeaux-style mouthfeel - had a sweetness that I'm not really looking to find in a cab. During the drinking window the wine continued to improve dramatically, and I'm interested in trying this again in another 2 years or so.
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first time with this wine, was somewhat hesitant to try it based on all that I have read about these requiring loads of sleep before they are even approachable. I was pleasantly surprised to find this very approachable at this stage. Mild aromas on the nose, well integrated tannins, pleasant fruit favors but nothing that hit me in the face. I was surprised, that it was not more complex, finish was smooth and elegant. Next time, I would not hesitate to open a bottle of similar age our older based on this tasting.
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Tasted 2001, 2002 & 2003 during a Dunn vertical, not much to distinguish one from the other with Napa consistently (but only slightly) edging out the Howell Mountain, I got excited about going after reading Tanzer’s reviews but just couldn’t find the complexity to warrant any score above 90. Disappointing
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Decanted and consumed over a period of about 3 or so hours. While the younger Napa cabs are probably more drinkable then their French counterparts of the same age, this one still needs a lot more time. It was just coming into its own by the time we were on the final sips. Parker's review put the color at inky blue-purple but this one was a nice dark blood red color. There are some nice fruits and cherry scents on the nose but the taste was pretty tight with a big load of tannins. Should age quite well and I wouldn't pop another bottle of this for another 4 or 5 years.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tasting (Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA): Everything I love in Howell Mountain Cabs. Dark puple color from the deeply extracted fruit. Very ripe fruit with strong mountain tannins, balanced enough to drink now but will last for years and years. Nose/mouth of blackberry, leather, and flowers. Long 40+ second finish.
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5/8/2024 - lachord Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very deep ruby color. Limited fruit, but hints of cherry, blackberry, and a slight amount of vanilla.
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2/5/2024 - corkcellar wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely sensational. little to no bricking, brute color and typical Howell Mountain fruit clearly great wine making skills. Well worth the wait.
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10/29/2023 - jbaron wrote: 93 Points
Very slight pleasantly vegetal nose, full mouth that is saturated with fleshy plums and cherries and graphite; good length that turns a tiny bit strident.
I can see this wine becoming less and therefore more subtle, but it doesn’t seem like that’s gonna make it better.
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5/7/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 93 Points
When just opened, this had a liquorice note together with quite ripe fruit. After a while, the wine became more serious, with ripe blackberry, dark cherry, cassis, cedar, fully integrated tannins and a medium + length finish.
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4/28/2023 - ben7210 Likes this wine: 95 Points
WB DC Offline - Mostly Napa (Bistrot Lepic): Deep garnet, cherries and cedar on the nose. On the palate high acidity, medium alcohol medium body, cherries and black raspberries. Kept getting better all night. A lighter touch than most of the other wines in the lineup which shows through.
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12/21/2022 - soyhead wrote:
once again Dunn Howell Mountain does not disappoint. this was a sexy and seductive wine with still relatively big rich fruity punch flavors (and I suspect some residual sugar).
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10/11/2022 - Pancreatitis wrote:
Ethereally lovely, youthful, fresh. Strong cassis initially, bright and youthful shifts to slightly more savoury and secondary, olive tapenade, soy, but then brightens up again around the 3 hour mark to reveal Amarene cherries and sweet umami truffled notes. Altogether lovely. Complete impulse open but glad I did perfect place. Tannins quite seemlessly integrated now.
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8/21/2022 - spendergast Likes this wine: 95 Points
A very nice mature cab with concentrated dark fruit, black raspberry, cherry, plum with notes of underbrush and oak. The tannins are soft and well integrated and finish is long and satisfying. Paired with grilled marinated antelope loin steaks - beautiful combo. Sadly, my only bottle.
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7/3/2022 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fill like new, blackberry, dark fruits, very well integrated tannins, good finish, not as powerful or tannic as many Dunn HM, surprisingly elegant
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5/27/2022 - Yagil Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep Ruby
Pronounced aromas and flavors intensity of dark forest fruits, oak-vanilla, leather, forest floors,
Developed, Dry, high acidity, med tannins, med+ body, long aftertaste, good complexity
Can drink now or within 2-4 years.
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2/13/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Good Wine with an Exciting Super Bowl (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Small glass, brief note. Rich black fruit with plenty of firm structure, but open and enticing in the manner of a good mid-aged Bordeaux. Very charming, this is just entering its peak drinking window, and should drink well for close to two decades from now.
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1/13/2022 - petenich Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very rich and dense.
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1/1/2022 - enthusiastic_amateur Likes this wine: 94 Points
Black fruit, deep black color. Lovely bouquet of mountain fruit, sweet blackberries, and nuanced oak. Tannin fully integrated, very smooth through the palate. Finish a little thinner than anticipated but still very fine. On the up-curve toward its peak yet very nice now.
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6/11/2021 - hfindlay Likes this wine:
How can this wine be so brawny and so balanced at once? It’s like dollop of black cherry compote, flavored with pine and sage, wrapped tight in cellophane. Juicy, but not sloppy. Loads of lovely secondary flavors like wild mushrooms, smoke and some meatiness. Contained, aromatic, long on the finish. I love this wine and I can’t believe it’s older than my cousin who’s a junior in college.
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5/22/2021 - soyhead wrote:
nose - sour plum, sexy nose
mouth - singing. rockstar wine. great fruit, great acidity, lovely balance, and funky to boot.
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5/12/2021 - Pancreatitis wrote:
Smoke, dark fruits, cassis, blood orange, charcuterie, pencil shavings, meaty, high acidity, still very tannic.
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11/13/2020 - jkad Likes this wine: 91 Points
Would guess St. Esteph if blind. Pretty much all secondary flavors and scents. A little brett. If you are looking for Napa-like fruit forward Cab, this is not it. If you are looking for soft tannins, earth, cedar....this is it. Still has 10 years of life left, maybe more.
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11/8/2020 - JR_Boston wrote: 90 Points
10 Year Tasting @ Cobble (1997-2006)
Nice nose and nice body. Finish couldn’t compare to some of the other vintages in this vertical
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8/19/2020 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 93 Points
this was beautiful, thank goodness cuz I saw my note from June which said wait ten years!, anyway, this was on the red side vis-a-vis fruit, with nice acidity for lift, and some nice spice / umami element (pretty prominent) to provide complexity... nonetheless it was an enjoyable drink with full-minus body (and not 'too big' as my last note would have suggested
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7/24/2020 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank for my middle daughter’s pre-graduation ceremony dinner. 4 hr slow ox did the trick. Simply gorgeous. Oak and tannins have receded. Expressive red fruited beauty, with camphor/eucalyptus, forest floor, wet rock, burning embers. Blind you pick Dunn if you know Dunn and this is no different. Plenty of acid left to go many more years,
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6/20/2020 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 91 Points
even after 2-3 hours in decanter, this still seemed a tad bit big / brutish / dark, it is Dunn Howell so maybe not a surprise, but feels like its possible it is going to be that way (maybe a little less over time) forever, certainly would suggest waiting another 5-10 years to try it, hopefully it can bring a tiny bit of elegance alongside its big structure / fruit... we'll see
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6/13/2020 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Through an aerator and into a decanter for 3 hours. It took all of that to fully open. Loads of overripe black fruits. Some black currant, underbrush, vanilla Oak, cedar, and just the right amount of acidity. Still young and I'd say drink to 2030.
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4/4/2020 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Kevin like it 94 wise but I found it big and fleshy and not mature, and I’m writing this note. Very big nose and mouth, moderate length. Plump cherries and plums and graphite.
Perhaps wait until 2023 for the next one.
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2/15/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed an hour of air and to come to room temp to open up; also was markedly better from a Somm stem.
Extremely dusty and dry, w earth, leather, and dark red fruit. My last bottle and everyone was VERY pleased with how this paired w beef Wellington. Personally I would not hang on to these much longer, though. Few year may have been shaved off its life from multiple moves.
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2/14/2020 - jkad Likes this wine: 96 Points
Melt the wax with kitchen torch, scrape the wax and PnP with wine poured with built in filter (best thing ever). Dark, smooth, scent of anise. Soooooo good. Perfect texture/mouthfeel. It would be a perfect wine of it were more complex. It's just plain good.
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11/17/2019 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Definately drinks like a classic, aged Dunn with a Bordeaux-like nose of earth, old leather and crushed stone. This shows its age (and possible impact from 3 x-country moves as noted earlier). 2.5 hours after opening (not decanted) there’s a sweetness to the little bit of fruit remaining. While this may have more life remaining for others, I’ll try to drink my remaining bottle over the Holidays.
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7/26/2019 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really good, but not quite up to my high expectations. Got better with air and was very big and bold.
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3/31/2019 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep red. Nose is quite restrained.. tar deep fruit but not overly rich. Sweet cassis. Cedar. Mid weight, tannin medium, smooth grippy. Long finish. Complex.
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2/26/2019 - Bro-rolo wrote: flawed
Finding a Place to Park at Urbano; 2/26/2019-3/2/2019 (Urbano DallasTX): welp if Mrs Bro-rolo ever gets tired of my incessant wine ramblings and tries to poison my wine goblet game of thrones style with Pine Sol...at least I’ll know what it tastes like now lol
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2/10/2019 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
This bottle shined for a bit then closed down somewhat, becoming 65% of its former self. No signs of fading, so perhaps wait a few years for the next one.
Try next in 2022.
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1/25/2019 - AEROSMITH wrote: 92 Points
last bottle of a great wine.
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12/24/2018 - jnocera Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle of this great wine. So balanced and subtle. Might have to try to find some more.
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12/15/2018 - Zweder wrote: 97 Points
Complex bouquet with sweet spices and beautiful dark berries. On the palate lush and sweet, juicy dark berries, good acidity and round tannin. Very tempting wine.
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11/19/2018 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blueberries, blackberries, plums, black raspberries, black cherries, leather, licorice, minerals, and hints of coffee in the nose. Deep rich fruit in the flavor, black currants, blackberries, and licorice. Full bodied wine though a bit more "refined" than some other vintages. Still, nice complexity and a long finish.
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10/28/2018 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 92 Points
1hr decant, nose still a touch muted. Served with med rate rib steak...beautiful pairing. As with most Dunn’s I own, still in drink/hold mode...
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7/28/2018 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great clarity, opaque and ruby to garnet hues from rim to robe. Smells are menthol, cherries, currant, dark spices and earthy notes. Tastes are currants, tart cherry, tobacco, herbs, black olive, and earth. Abundant acidity and course, satiny tannins.
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5/28/2018 - barrytaylor Likes this wine: 92 Points
deep color. needs at least 1 hr of air in decanter. Very nice but might have been better 1 or 2 years ago. Cork fell apart. try again soon
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4/19/2018 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 93 Points
1 hour decant. Astonishingly pretty nose, lots of cassis and cherry and floral notes. Great palate, lots of fruit, a bit crunchy but very tasty.
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4/5/2018 - Bro-rolo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bro-rolo's 2018 Masters Bro-down; 4/1/2018-4/8/2018 (Augusta, GA): I saw Tiger again...this time on the 17th tee...I overheard him tell his caddy how much he loved Caymus special selection...that's loser talk...winners drink vintage Dunn Howell Mountain...I guess Tiger has decided his next victory will be coming on the Champions Tour...
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1/27/2018 - jkad Likes this wine: 95 Points
Kitchen torch to melt the wax, then PnP. So good. Blackberries, black cherries and a hint of cedar. Fruit before earth, but so balanced. At such a good place of smooth tannin with some youthfulness, but mellowed. Outstanding.
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1/8/2018 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
Intoxicating nose of red fruit, hint of green pepper. Delicate palate, more red fruit, good balance, tart finish. Very long. I like it.
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12/26/2017 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep dark center, red rim with some of age.
Sweet, brandied plums and blackberries, ripe and sinewy, hints of green pepper and sealing wax.
Smooth, raspberries, wonderful balance between lusciousness and taughtness, essence of red fruits on a platform of solid stone, some toasty oak, some well integrated greenness, good acidity and tannin still (bodes well for the future), fantastic length of mature red fruit and black olives.
Wonderful Dunn, drinking well now, good life ahead.
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11/25/2017 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great stuff here. Typical HM profile with earthy and red fruit notes.
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11/4/2017 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
2002 DUNN VINEYARDS HOWELL MOUNTAIN NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- this was a fabulous bottle giving so much joy and tactile pleasure; it had much more finesse than power which gave it a nice degree of elegance; I got minty blackberry fruit with additional accents of cedar, cigar box and liquorice; the tannins were firm but easy on the palate; another candidate for WOTN.
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10/14/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet color, slight haze, and darkly hued color. Smells are smoke, tar, currants, blackberry, iodine, black olive, wet stone, and cedar. The tastes are tar, smoke, olive, meaty notes, peppery spices, dark chocolate, and cedar. A little hot (alcohol) but tight powerful furry tannins. Begs for juicy fatty steak or lamb.
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6/15/2017 - wino_tim wrote: 96 Points
Deep purple. Complex aromas of cassis, mint, eucalyptus, spice and earth. Full bodied with a medium+ level of silky, resolved tannins, medium+ acidity and deeply complex, persistent flavors.
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3/15/2017 - Highlander wrote: flawed
Opened two bottles, after I suspected the first was mildly corked. Excellent wine, similar to my other notes on Randy's HM wines. The mildly corked wine mostly differed on the nose (very slight) and the fruit on the early palate, but overall a very well balanced, well made wine.
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3/4/2017 - Bauman Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the buy list. Smoky tobacco flavor with great legs.
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1/9/2017 - curtr wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle.
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10/8/2016 - newkid17 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank from a magnum. Great depth with tobacco, combination of milk and dark chocolate, blue fruits and black fruits with no red fruit qualities. Long finish. Color was dark purple. Drinking well now.
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9/26/2016 - ieatwine wrote: 97 Points
yummy
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8/26/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 93 Points
A dark ruby red wine with the first signs of bricking on the edges. Very complex nose earthy with hints of cedar and black fruits. On the palate this is a very well structured wine with steely tannins. The fruit is fairly muted but the structure and complexity help carry it. The finish is smooth and long. This is a bit of a restrained Dunn really good but not a powerhouse
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3/6/2016 - davidandrose wrote:
Classic Dunn nose, heavy on tea leaves and old oak barrels. Was uncorked and allowed to air 45 mins before opening at a restaurant 30 mins later.
A bit past its peak, but this was purchased on 2ndary Mkt and moved 3x, so which may have impacted aging. Dominant red fruit, faint tobacco, hint of herb. Structure is fading, drink up, not rated.
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1/23/2016 - MVO Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
A nice age-worthy Napa Cab. Decanted for two hours. The youthful black fruit (cassis) is still there and wonderful tertiary aromas are coming on - mushroom, truffle, leather. This is fabulous now and should continue to gain complexity for 5+ more years.
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1/23/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 91 Points
After 1 hour in the decanter still fairly tight. A deep dark ruby red, the nose is very earthy and herbal. On the palate it's still very tannic not really as integrated or smooth as I would like. May need more time.
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5/10/2015 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Balanced with nice leather, spice and still good tannin.
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11/15/2014 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful garnet. Showing no oxidative browning at all. Slight oak on the nose, but in a pleasant mannor. Up front, you are hit with wonderful cherry. Long, even mid and late palate. Great wine for 12 yo cali cab.
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10/27/2014 - carmel cellars wrote: 94 Points
Had this wine along with other reds silver oak and Bell Clone 6 the Dunn was exceptional from the nose to the finish Opened a 2003 and found it also excellent
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10/26/2014 - New to wine wrote:
Not great
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8/25/2014 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Color is dark black-garnet and deeply colored and opaque. Their is a deep garnet hue to the rim too. The smells are currant, blackberry, dark chocolate, soy, cedar and tobacco. The tastes are earhty notes with dry leaves, blackberry, currants, dark cherry, soy, cedar, espresso, and dust. The tannins are fine but very dry and there is noteworthy zing on the long earrhy finish.
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6/22/2014 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
6 years ago I said I should next try in 2 years....guess I waited a little longer than expected, but in a good place if handled appropriately. From Somm stems. Right out of the bottle this seemed overly sweet; within an hour the sweetness began to tame and after 2.5 hours this was in a great place. Never decanted, so the wine can soften faster with a decant.
Bing cherry, sweet tannin, faint black pepper, and saddle leather on the nose. Medium-light weight prompts me to narrow the drinking window to 2016/2017. Will try another bottle in 6 months to gauge if its really that soft or just variation. Red cherry, cough syrup, vanilla, toasted oak with a 25 second finish thats longer than the nose would lead one to expect.
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6/15/2014 - mike l. Likes this wine: 95 Points
everything youd hope for in an aged napa cab under $100. will go another 5-10 years.
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6/14/2014 - TSBWine Likes this wine: 91 Points
90-91+ Points. Tasted at "Taste of Howell Mountain" event. Aerated unknown period of time.
Restrained fresh blueberries, faint notes of dried herbs, violets and blue slate. This seemed relatively restrained and even a bit muted. There's good density here and plenty of freshness with an elegant mouthfeel. The mid-palate density and freshness suggests this may need additional aeration or more time in the cellar.
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6/13/2014 - H Crenshaw wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. This wine is still very tannic and needs lots of air or more time in bottle. Once it opened up it had nice black fruit flavors with a intense finish.
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6/11/2014 - Redteeth wrote:
Did not decant but it sat open for a while. The wine was in great shape and very enjoyable with classic Napa characteristics.
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6/10/2014 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 93 Points
drank to celebrate Students Matter's big win over State of California, this was fantastic, so open for a Dunn Howell, decanted an hour and put back into bottle -- the nose and palate at this point felt tight and mostly muted fruit, opened at dinner two hours later and it had changed, gorgeous red fruit with menthol and pine on the palate, same on the nose tho the pine was on top of the fruit, great acid, tannins there but gentle… so good and nosed out the 2004 Bryant Family for me (though the guests liked the richness of the Bryant of course)
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6/1/2014 - mike l. Likes this wine: 95 Points
Poured from Coravin
N: floral citrus light graphite
P: seamless, almost delicate! internse menthol and pine. mouthwatering. special.
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4/21/2014 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was an outstanding CA Cab. I would definitely decant 1-2 hours before drinking. We opened it at the beginning of Easter dinner and it was completely closed in. Literally, no flavor at all. I was worried that such an expensive bottle had gone bad. Then 1 hour later, towards the end of dinner as we pulled out the dark chocolate--wow! Totally opened up and was complex, full bodied, flavors of bing cherry. I would say it has about 2-3 years to peak. Not much longer.
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3/17/2014 - Bauman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent legs on this deep burgundy colored cab. Very smooth with spicy hints
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2/7/2014 - Barbaro wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. This wine is still young and could have used more time to open up. I am sure this wine will continue to improve with time but even after a 4 hour decant the only thing I could get was leather, tar, and smoke. Needs the fruit to show up to balance the other flavors.
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11/28/2013 - bmartz1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great complexity and change as it spent time out of the bottle in decanter.
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11/6/2013 - tfharris Likes this wine: 90 Points
We drank this along side of a 2001 Rudd and it kind of took a backseat. This Dunn was very good, but it didn't knock my socks off. I wish we would have decanted it longer before drinking (30 mins)
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9/22/2013 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brought another bottle to a tasting at TO's and as usual, it was a little messy to open. The color is dark black-garnet and hints of violet color to the rim. The aromas are smoke, hoisin, tar, blueberry, blackberry, currants, cedary notes, and wet minerals. The tastes are cherry, currant, espresso, toast, vanilla, garrigue and some menthol like notes. The finish has some zing and are dusty and furry. The finish changes as time passes and is lengthy.
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9/15/2013 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow... very youthful appearance in glass. I know I have done a note on this wine before but I tend not to read them until after I post newer notes so as not to bias myself (makes sense to me anyways). But dang, this is inky black with youthful purple-violet hues to the rim and the color is dense and mostly opaque. The aromatics are powerful and were notable as the cork was removed. The aromas are smoke, cedar, currants, blackberry, blueberry, tar, hoisin, and earthy minerals. The tastes are blueberry, blackberry, espresso, brushy notes, cedar, vanilla, currants, toast, and menthol. The tannins are fierce but like course satin and this wine should be used as a clinic for acidity - it's one of the zingiest reds I have had. The finish lingers for well over a minute. This bottle is rocking and I don't recall having the same impression from previous bottles!
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9/2/2013 - Jack51 wrote:
Wonderful wine. Opened easily in the carafe and became soft on the palate.
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6/4/2013 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The color is black-garnet in the glass, almost completely opaque as a faint bit of light can be seen. The color is brilliant to the edge. This wine is very aromatic and can be smelled without swirling. The smells are blackberry, currant, cherry, tar, smoke, and espresso. The tastes are cherry, currant, blackberry, black licorice, olive, dill, espresso, dark chocolate, and cedary notes. The finish is lengthy and the structure is lean but powerful. The tannins are dusty and ripe. The body is nice and not really full. This wine evolves over time and reveals different flavors as it is tasted.
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5/5/2013 - RedLoverJim Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good, full fruit forward flavors. Would have been better waiting five more years minimum.
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3/23/2013 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Rich & Dana's): Notes of black cherry, currants and cassis, along with vanilla and minerals. Full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and flavors of currants, cassis and vanilla. Long finish. 93-94 pts.
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3/21/2013 - ntrubee wrote: 90 Points
Third bottle of night after 05 Rudd and Venge Shiraz. Good. Not what I expected.
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3/16/2013 - prettydeceextrap Likes this wine: 94 Points
(A-) Took about 10 minutes to blow off some funk. Once cleared, an amazing nose emerges - blue fruit, vanilla, cloves, and very faint pine needles. Cooling menthol type element even fainter. Just lovely. After about 2 hours, this really started to sing. Wonderful secondary levels of ripe cherry and casis. An oh-so-subtle hint of menthol-eucalyptus shave soap (think Proraso or Santa Maria Novella) comes through again. Beautiful. Smooth tannins. Drink or hold.
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2/22/2013 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
for a young Dunn Howell Mtn this was shockingly approachable, tannins were not a problem at all -- largely receded, wine had loads of beautiful red fruits, drank alongside a Ridge Monte Bello from '95 which bested the Dunn but it held its own... in fact it felt like in 7-10 years the Dunn might mirror the Ridge MB... very primary on the palate at this point but not overdone, nice acid for sure, if it adds secondary flavors with time (and it should) it could add 2 pts to the score over time
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2/20/2013 - EyeDoc wrote: 92 Points
This vintage of this wine has always seemed a bit more open than the typical reputation for a Dunn Howell Mountain. It is full bodied and has the structure to last for many years. Tannins are mellowing but still linger. Nice. Drink or Hold.
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2/11/2013 - kosinski wrote:
Dunn Vineyards Winemaker Dinner (The Village Pub, Woodside, CA): Aromas of graphite, fresh mown hay and Chambord. Lovely texture on the palate with a velvety character and good body. Flavors include blackberries, graphite, stone and a touch of green herbaceousness. Excellent structure and balanced acidity. Ready to drink now.
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2/11/2013 - Tracypyo wrote: 95 Points
Drank both the 2002 and the 1998 with dinner of braised beef short rib. Both were excellent and most of the party preferred the 98 with one guest preferring the 02. The 98 had beautiful earthy nose and an amazingly smooth mouthfeel and long finish of earth, cigar box and great aged leather. Loved this wine! The 02 was very good as well but still with tons of color and dark fruit that will last another 5-10 years easily. Both great wines. 97 pts for the 98 as it has aged wonderfully and is drinking perfectly right now and 95 pts for the 02. Great job Randy Dunn!
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12/22/2012 - Mallards wrote: 99 Points
A birthday present and a very nice one. Smooth, silky, big, warm. There is still plenty of life left in this outstanding wine.
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11/13/2012 - hackey37 wrote: 94 Points
The color of this wine is an impenetrable dark, red-black wine that is deep red on the rim. One commonality with Dunn Howell mountain wine I have personally tasted is the immediate upfront fragrance once the wine is poured or when the cork is popped, pre-swirl if you will. The smells are black currant, smoke, cedar, camphor, and dark chocolate. The wine tastes are dark cherry and cassis, blackberry, dark chocolate, and earth. There is a lingering sweetness of fruit. The wine is power and elegance framed by noteworthy tannins and mouth watering acidity. The finish is lengthy and the body is lithe. And wow... 13.8% alcohol. Very low by today's standards but probably about as high as Mr. Dunn likes it from what I have read. Simply a great and interesting Cabernet Sauvignon.
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10/6/2012 - Tarrant wrote: 97 Points
Simply one of the best wines we've ever had, given the reputation of Dunn to produce extremely ageworthy Cali Cabs it's strange that the reviewers did not have the foresight to see what a classic this would become - Black, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, plum, cherry, cedar, green leaf tobacco, mocha and vanilla, amazing structure and balance, integrated with years left, still tannic, but velvety smooth on the mid-palate, sweet on the finish with amazing length, extraordinary! (97 Points).
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9/3/2012 - Hbgsurgeon wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Very smooth and balanced. Drinking great and should continue for several years to come.
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8/10/2012 - bmartz1 wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic wine. Great balance of fruit and just a touch of oak, with solid but not overt tannins. Great now, but still could sit for 5yrs and improve.
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7/20/2012 - MikeZ wrote: 93 Points
Much more flamboyant than the normal Dunn weight with layers and layers of lush fruit--outstanding bottle of wine
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6/30/2012 - LPskeleton wrote: 92 Points
Two consistent beautiful bottles of 02 dunn howell mtn tonight....surprised at both the softness of the wine given the hyperbole around this and how much weight it gained with an hour in decanter. So much black currant and loam with a long 60 second finish...fantastic texture....my only knock is the wine was in a way singular in terms of flavor profile but perhaps that will change with time.
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6/16/2012 - bigdogflow Likes this wine:
Tasted at 2012 Taste of Howell Mountain
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4/27/2012 - golfwine wrote: 90 Points
I hadn't even realized (nor would ever had guessed) that his was the same wine that I've had on two prior occasions. This bottle had almost chunky, assertive fruit; was nicely balanced but the tannins were almost non-existent...initially. However, by my third glass, The tannic structure really shined through. A totally different wine than I've previously experienced. I'm once again intrigued.
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4/6/2012 - GlassHalfFull wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly tame and elegant. If you ask me, this is ready to drink. Lush fruit remains, but well balanced with chalky minerallity and soft tannins. Yes, soft, refined tannins.
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4/1/2012 - bonedocnine wrote: 87 Points
Funkiness maybe brett.
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3/11/2012 - brich wrote: 92 Points
Fabulous cab in an otherwise unexceptional vintage. Let it breathe and decant. Cork came out poorly but we were undeterred. I love Dunn
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12/29/2011 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 92 Points
I was recently introduced to Dunn and fortunate to visit with Randy and his daughter on a recent trip to Napa. I have been told Randy's wines need to age a long time before they show their "real stuff" - and based on this bottle, I would say that must be true. Although this wine is almost 10 years old already, you would not have guessed that if blind tasting. It is clear that these wines are made to go for the long haul.
We decanted this for almost two hours. The nose was so nice, I couldn't go any longer than that without finally tasting! Great Howell Mtn fruits of blue and black berries with secondary nose of granite and currants. Much the same on the palate although a little lighter than I would have thought based on the nose. A little menthol to round out the taste. VERY smooth and sliky. The finish was the only disappointment to me. I like a nice long finish in my Cabs and this was medium at best - the only tihng keeping me from scoring higher. But overall, this was a delicious treat. It will be interesting to see how this (and my other vintages from Dunn) continues to develop over the years.
As a side note, I struggled a little with the wax capsule. I tried to open as if it was not there but still needed to wipe down with a damp cloth before removing the cork all the way (so that none of the wax flakes got into the wine). I guess I just need more practice... I can hardly wait!
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12/10/2011 - Ajtrader wrote: 89 Points
A little disappointing. Thin is probably the best way to put it.
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12/8/2011 - stevenjstein wrote: flawed
Was really looking forward to this bottle, but it was flawed. Had a distinct chemical nose and taste. Not sure if it was corked or some sort of heat damage or other contamination. The fruit seemed to still be holding up very well, so another bottle would probably be drinking well right now, but had to dump this one.
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10/12/2011 - Jcrampton wrote: 91 Points
Fruity, complex, really interesting
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10/3/2011 - Nedder_travels_the_world wrote: 91 Points
just starting to develop an aged favor with the nice acidity. it's a delicious wine but not as spectacular as some of the other vintages i have had. paired exceptionally well with filet mignon. what some of the previous tasting notes fail to account for is the youthfulness of a wine that's nearly 10 years old because they expect so much from Dunn (and rightly so!)
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10/1/2011 - EyeDoc wrote: 90 Points
Just so so given the general reputation. A bit light in the pants - nice fruits and good finish. A bit simple. Decanted and consumed over 2 hours.
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8/4/2011 - dcasper wrote: 89 Points
decanted very briefly, maybe 15 minutes and this bottle opened up nicely. Spice/pepper on the nose and very strong blackberry flavor. Still a limited finish compared to older Dunn's. Close to the 98 but no where near say a 97 or 01
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7/23/2011 - golfwine wrote: 85 Points
Had another one of these, with virtually identical notes/impression as the last.
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7/17/2011 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
Two hour decant and the wine showed typical Howell Mt fruit. Not a fruit bomb and a very good example. For the guy who popped and poured, try decanting a couple of hours. This wine is not a pop and pour.
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7/16/2011 - caeleric wrote:
no notes taken. i have limited experience with dunn, but this fit the typical tight, left-bank bordeaux profile i've come to expect. even after a long decant, i think this needed more time in the decanter.
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6/17/2011 - golfwine wrote: 85 Points
With two '97 Napa's, a Longshadows "Feather", and now this; all with the similar impression - round but not rich, balanced & integrated but not complex, smooth and pretty but almost austere and, dare I say uninteresting - I can now confidently declare that I don't fully appreciate Randy Dunn's style.
They're not nearly mind-blowing or extraordinary and perhaps more perplexing, I would never in a million years, describe them as "unyielding" or "as long-lasting (read: age-worthy) as icebergs". It's clear that they're made in the old-world style and although they remind me of a well-aged wine (like 20 years aged), this one was only 9 and it required almost no decanting.
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5/20/2011 - Hbgsurgeon wrote: 93 Points
Awesome. OLCC Western Night.
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5/15/2011 - winopops3 wrote: 92 Points
Fairly young for a Dunn Howell Mountain, but this was not the tannic beast I expected. This tasted fresh with soft tannins beautiful fruit, great mouth feel and finish. Not overly complex, but the fruit was so nice, it was a pleasure to drink. Had at Lewnes in Annapolis.
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5/15/2011 - Tree512 wrote: 91 Points
Big bold blue-black fruit, balanced tannins but nothing like a usual Dunn Howell Mountain. Very approachable, not super complex, much bigger than what I usually drink but restrained by Cal Cab standards. Very enjoyable.
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4/10/2011 - russdan60 wrote: 91 Points
Earthy good wine. Shorter finish than I anticipated from Dunn.
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3/23/2011 - facchair wrote: 92 Points
Probably better than a 92 but expectations for Dunn are pretty high. Good barnyard, mild spice and drinking well at this time. Did not need decant.
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3/13/2011 - Highlander wrote:
Never thought I could drink an 02 Dunn HM so soon.....decanted 3 hrs prior....good balance between the tannins and the fruit. This wine could use more time, but it drinks well now. Typical Dunn, blackberry, black cherry, crisp and clear, but not as complex. I wonder if the wine will evolve into something better or if this is it? If so, I am not sure if it it is worth the money.
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11/25/2010 - A&C wrote: 90 Points
This was a nice wine, but not memorable, particularly because it followed an Aphrodite and a Chateau Leoville Barton that were memorable.
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11/15/2010 - Stirling wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed with the tasting menu at Auberge de Soleil. Delicious wine, much more approachable than I expected, given all I had heard about how long it takes hois wines to come around. Dark red, fragrant nose of black cherries, currant and stones (an almost dusty kind of aroma). Medium to full body, viscous, and powerful in a restrained kind of way; by no means over the top. Though a long future in the cellar seems a sure thing, this wine is drinking very well right now.
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10/23/2010 - facchair wrote: 85 Points
Drank immediately and felt as though it was nearly at its end. Waited for about an hour and tried again. Found soft tannin but nothing much left. Drink now or not at all
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7/10/2010 - Hbgsurgeon wrote: 93 Points
Classic Dunn HM! Drank on my birthday. Randy is a god.
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6/16/2010 - jmguidi wrote: 93 Points
lots of fruit... yet smooth. Very nice one.
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5/20/2010 - MadelinePuckette wrote: 97 Points
Hazy ruby core to garnet rim a bright and intense color with medium viscosity and slight staining of the tears. Exquisite aromas of semi dried black currants, red plums, rocky minerality and tertiary notes of licorice overshadowed with wintergreen. Balance between fruit and herbal aromas, particularly wintergreen, sage and tri-color pepper. On the palate, surprisingly lighter than aroma suggested with acidity, a rare steak meatiness and black cherry fruits... and more wintergreen. Drank on equinox. still wondering if that has anything to do with it. Server butchered the capsule, it was cute (note to self: pretend capsule is not there).
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5/8/2010 - MD.Gibson wrote: 93 Points
Great nose, old world style, sour cherry, blue berry on the front end with a good finish, still good acidity and tannis. Getting better with time and could easily have gone longe.
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3/13/2010 - FoodMuse Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aged firm tannins with a rich cassis finish. Great oaky finish. I tasted this as part of a vertical tasting from 2002 to 2006 at Prima Vini in Walnut Creek, CA.
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2/19/2010 - robertgoulet wrote: 90 Points
good wine, others scored much higher, but very good, cassis, creaminess, soapy, menthol nice.....
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7/5/2009 - up4wine wrote: 87 Points
Had this bottle at local restaurant with steak and mushrooms. The son had elk. The aroma of this wine was quite outstanding. It was long on fruits and berries with a very slight hints of oak. The taste was somewhat of a different story. The initial fruit was a good match to the nose. It was very smooth and acids and tannins were in good balance. However, this taste did not linger and was followed by a "minerality" that bordered on an equivalent to licking galvanized metal. During the meal this was not a detraction as the meats added much to the flavor of the wine. Unfortunately, I cannot say the wine added nearly so much to the flavor of the meat. Considering the recommendation of this wine, I was somewhat disappointed. The son rated it an 88.
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5/2/2009 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
I'm surprised at how approachabe this wine is at age 7. The nose is reticent, but the mouth is somehow elegant and elegantly full, and the length, while not fleshed out in the far back reaches of the throat, is extended in the upper palate and in its "feel". The notes are of herbal spiced red fruit and dirt - still quite primary.
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3/2/2009 - Mrbuzz wrote: 94 Points
Big Boy tasting (Buzzini House): Dark in color. A little shy at first....nose of sweet berries, cocoa bean, caramel, slight redwine vinegar. Deep dark flavors, not as intense, but well balanced. A little coaxing brought out super Cab flavors, polished...still tight. "Sleeping Giant" is what I wrote down. I thought this was the Harlan? ++pts
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10/26/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Edward Roberts International Pre-Auction Tasting (Union League Club of Chicago): Sampled at the Edward Roberts International Pre-Auction Tasting at the Union League Club of Chicago.
Crimson. Dried red berries. Moderate high acidity and tannin structure. Nice grip. Solid start of the truly AWESOME tasting.
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8/23/2008 - gregsp wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for two hours. While nice, both the nose and flavor were tight. Not very complex, based on what's showing.
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6/6/2008 - davidandrose wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking over another 3 hours. Far softer and more approachable than any other "young" (ie < 12 years old) Dunns I've had, there was some green in the flavor profile up to 5 hours after decanting, and the tannins - while very soft, and providing an elegant, bordeaux-style mouthfeel - had a sweetness that I'm not really looking to find in a cab. During the drinking window the wine continued to improve dramatically, and I'm interested in trying this again in another 2 years or so.
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4/27/2007 - RWilkinson wrote: 92 Points
first time with this wine, was somewhat hesitant to try it based on all that I have read about these requiring loads of sleep before they are even approachable. I was pleasantly surprised to find this very approachable at this stage. Mild aromas on the nose, well integrated tannins, pleasant fruit favors but nothing that hit me in the face. I was surprised, that it was not more complex, finish was smooth and elegant. Next time, I would not hesitate to open a bottle of similar age our older based on this tasting.
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4/20/2007 - duchamp wrote:
Tasted 2001, 2002 & 2003 during a Dunn vertical, not much to distinguish one from the other with Napa consistently (but only slightly) edging out the Howell Mountain, I got excited about going after reading Tanzer’s reviews but just couldn’t find the complexity to warrant any score above 90. Disappointing
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3/4/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and consumed over a period of about 3 or so hours. While the younger Napa cabs are probably more drinkable then their French counterparts of the same age, this one still needs a lot more time. It was just coming into its own by the time we were on the final sips. Parker's review put the color at inky blue-purple but this one was a nice dark blood red color. There are some nice fruits and cherry scents on the nose but the taste was pretty tight with a big load of tannins. Should age quite well and I wouldn't pop another bottle of this for another 4 or 5 years.
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10/19/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 94 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tasting (Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA): Everything I love in Howell Mountain Cabs. Dark puple color from the deeply extracted fruit. Very ripe fruit with strong mountain tannins, balanced enough to drink now but will last for years and years. Nose/mouth of blackberry, leather, and flowers. Long 40+ second finish.
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4/26/2006 - EyeDoc wrote: 88 Points
more approachable than you might think. A little simple with decent fruit and nice tannins. Will try again in a 2 yrs.
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