2016 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

Community Tasting Notes (21) Avg Score: 93.5 points

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  10/29/2023 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Layered cassis and dill bouquet. Rich supple entry and mid-palate. Very little tannin and surprisingly forward. Very long aftertaste. Delicious now. Would hold at this level a couple more years but why bother?

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  8/14/2023 - swade wrote: 92 Points

  Dark purple. Campfire aromas. Oodles of blackberry and creme de cassis with an oak-spiced finish. Plus finish. I liked the 2010 and 2014 iterations more, but this was very good in it's own right. 92

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  6/4/2023 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 95 Points

  I continued to gravitate back to this wine throughout the evening. In many regards, I found this wine to be the most satisfying, for few reasons. First, this came from an extraordinary vintage in Napa, and this particular bottle has likely entered the beginning of its peak drinkability. In addition, through the miracle of science and voodoo, I seemed to have given this just the right amount of air ahead of time. I slow ox'd for 3 hours, which I define as I opened the wine three hours ahead, full decant, immediately back in the bottle, and recorked. Perhaps it was aided by the spirited uber ride from the suburbs into south philly across local roads (think Mr. Toads wild ride) that properly agitated the wine as well.
  
  There is simply a richness and balance to O'Shaughnessy's Howell mountain cabernet - per the winemaker, the goal here is to achieve a richer, riper, sweeter and complex style of mountain cab, and he typically exceeds in spades in most years. There are seven different varietals here which help to achieve this goal, although the cabernet and merlot lead the way. The structure and power of the mountain fruit is balanced by its complexity, richness, and sweetness.
  
  Blue fruits, dark cherries, bramble, forest floor, sweet tannins, iron ore that finishes with coarse but sweet tannins.
  For those interested: The blend is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Saint Macaire, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenere, all brought up in 80% new French oak.

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  5/7/2023 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Quite a bit of sediment would recommend a decant. Beautiful concentration of fruit. IMO one of the better vintages

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  8/27/2022 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:

  Black fruit, cassis, and a touch of orange rind with French oak in the background. Soft and pleasant on the palate, tannins creep up on the finish but they are dialed. This is fantastic now and will go another 10+ years easily.

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