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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.9 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 112 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by napasoutherner on 3/27/2024 & rated 94 points: Beautiful wine from a not so great vintage. Rounded blue and black fruit, romantic long finish. Notes on vanilla, blue fruit and cocoa. Love Dunn HM! (890 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 2/11/2024 & rated 94 points: Plum, earth, full bodied, light tannin. Don’t see how this improves with more time. Delicious now. (1325 views) | | | Tasted by Crunge on 10/7/2023 & rated 94 points: Vertical of the 2007-2009. Surprisingly, all five tasters agreed on the order: 2008 first, 2007 second, 2009 third.
2009
Aromas of wet stone and raspberry. Cola with mild raspberry and cherry. Dry, a touch sour. Medium- flavor at opening, opening up to medium later. Better over time, so decant 30-60 minutes if opening now. 91
2008
Dusty aroma, a touch of earth. A hint of sour cherry on the nose. More body and fruit than the 2007 or 2009. Medium+ body, mouth-coating raspberries and plum with a touch of cocoa. 94+
2007
Funk on the nose, reminding me of an old-world wine. Raspberry cola, with a hint of minerality. Did not add weight with air, but fruit came forward, as did the funk on the nose. 92 (2115 views) | | | Tasted by EdKz@comcast.net on 8/29/2023 & rated 96 points: Medium body, aromas of earthy cassis, red and black dominant red fruit, fine grain resolved tannins, mild acid, medium finish, very enjoyable after an hour of air. (2101 views) | | | Tasted by jhw425 on 6/8/2023 & rated 92 points: This was really good with air. Not showing much until about 90min in. Rich and clearly California but not over the top and tannins were fairly integrated. Tasted more young and ripe than I was expecting (2600 views) | | | Tasted by JoeDwine on 3/16/2023 & rated 93 points: At BC Ravioli with Mushroom Cream…..
Very smooth and tannins in background .
Still kind of primary but dark fruits shine.
Revisit 2028. (2826 views) | | | Tasted by awise45 on 2/13/2023 & rated 96 points: Spectacular -- really singing now, with dark fruits and full finish. So rich and balanced. (2864 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 2/7/2023: Napa 2023: the quieter version; 2/6/2023-2/11/2023 (Napa/Sonoma California): This wine is still a killer although also still decidedly young. Darker fruits and a kindof gripping mid palate and just this impression that there are a number of layers here but the wine isn’t quite showing all of them. These had been opened the night before but then recorked. (3137 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyDelMar on 12/19/2022 & rated 95 points: Decanted 90 minutes. Dark black color. Tertiary flavors now. So smooth and great. Layer after layers of flavors. So great. Cork was dry and crumbled. Probably the wax cover. Super smooth & complex flavors. Excellent. (2800 views) | | | Tasted by Badmonkey on 11/29/2022 & rated 93 points: Get together with a friend to drink the 2008 vintage next to the 2016 vintage to see how they compare. A little better than my last bottle around three years ago. Dark red and black fruit - currants, blackberry, and dark cherry. Smooth mid-palate but once again a lighter profile than expected in light of the 98 rating from WA - medium body. However, the flavors were a little more expressive this time around - some spice, cocoa, cassis, and a mineral/graphite component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Decanted for four hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. An enjoyable wine but once again I expected more in consideration of the 98 rating. Although WA anticipated maturity 2028 to 2043 so hopefully better days still ahead. 100% cab. (3320 views) | | | Tasted by bigbass250 on 11/26/2022: so excited after reading the community tasting notes thought it was a good one to open on our last night of hosting family before they move far away' (1965 views) | | | Tasted by PghMike on 11/18/2022 & rated 96 points: Napa Valley - November 2022; 11/16/2022-11/19/2022 (Napa Valley): Tasted at the Dunn property up on the mountain with Mike Dunn. I found this one wonderfully balanced at 14 years of age. Palate of cola, leather and some nice floral notes. Felt like this is in the early part of its prime. Mouthfeel was clean and soft. Perhaps the longest and most beautiful finish of any wine on the trip. (2266 views) | | | Tasted by Traxx on 7/17/2022: Drinking really nicely. I'd agree with the comments that this is drinking well earlier than many Dunn Howells. Based on this bottle no rush, but no real reason to wait either. (2897 views) | | | Tasted by Vitis Maximus on 4/18/2022 & rated 93 points: Soft and approachable with deep dark mountain fruit. Im not sure that this Dunn vintage will age like its siblings. I can't see it going much past 2028. I do not think it will brick out after that but the usual characteristic strong backbone structure is not present in this vintage. I'm going to hold onto my last bottle for a little longer and see if I'm right or wrong. (3097 views) | | | Tasted by napasoutherner on 4/14/2022 & rated 93 points: Beautiful Dunn in an off vintage. Deep and rich with robust flavors of Tabasco and dark fruit. Not my favorite vintage of Napa but Dumm delivers week tegardless (3006 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyDelMar on 3/25/2022 & rated 95 points: Decanted 90 minutes then poured back into bottle. Light sediment so you might want to filter. Wine is sublime. Tannins soft but an explosion of flavor. Wine gained weight over the next hour even in the bottle. Layer after layer of flavor. While the tannins are soft the depth of flavor is amazing. The wine is in an amazing spot. I don’t see waiting longer to drink this. Truly an amazing wine. Paired with Kagoshima A5 Ribeye. (3287 views) | | | Tasted by Casa Moorak on 12/31/2021 & rated 95 points: Had the Dunn with a porterhouse. Two hour decant. The wine was super smooth with some nice fruit. Feel like it’s a really good time to drink this wine (3207 views) | | | Tasted by sdsull on 10/14/2021: Corked bottle. Disappointing and frustrating. Had the bottle since release. (3478 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 9/30/2021 & rated 94 points: Howell Mountain Dreamin': This elegant and rustic Cabernet is drinking well right now, with a nimble presentation that hints at real depth (with a few more years, to paraphrase every Dunn fan forevermore). This has the most savory and earthy aromas, with notes of blackberry, tar, leather, and tapenade. The flavors are similarly grounded, with notes of sour cherry, cranberry, anise, and bay leaf, followed by a wispy and tannic finish. This needs the longest decant of the bunch, but has a more lifted and crunchy mouthfeel. Compared to its more modern counterparts, its fruit is more reticent and its intensity is more muted, but it is a classy wine all the way. Vineyard at 2,100 feet. 13.9% alcohol. 93-94 for now, with upside in 2023 or later. (4490 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyDelMar on 9/27/2021 & rated 95 points: Decanted 2.5 hours. Dark black color. Wonderful Cab nose. First sip is Wow!! Lots of flavor layers and amazing extraction. Wine is still a bit tight and not fully open on the nose. It needs more bottle time IMO. You can drink it now but it will be much better in 12-24 months. This is the Old School Cab I love devoid of the sweetness so many new Cabs have. Dunn Howell Mountain is Iconic. (3306 views) | | | Tasted by napasoutherner on 4/9/2021 & rated 93 points: A very nice Dunn Howell Mountain. Solid blue and black fruit, took a little time to start humming (about an hour) and then it kicked in. Always Bordeaux in style this was a crowd pleaser. However, the Dunn's that have wowed me are late 80s and early 90s. So if you have this bottle hold for a couple more years. (3662 views) | | | Tasted by MemorialWineFan on 2/20/2021 & rated 93 points: Randy Dunn did an amazing job on this vintage. I admire him for not seeking 15%+ alcohol levels whereas many other winemakers want to make "knuckle-dragging" wines where the fruit is barely discernible beyond the alcohol. This had great fruit and really good balance. Solid cork. Corked looked it it was a 2-3 year old wine. Keep cellaring for as long as you want. Good experience. (3398 views) | | | Tasted by Robmcl920 on 1/30/2021 & rated 94 points: On the nose, I found very sweet dark red raspberry and blackberry fruit, violets, licorice, espresso, and a hint of bell pepper. On the palate, the wine was rich and showed a good inner sweetness with remarkably refined / buried tannins, retaining a high level of freshness and a mid-weight feel. On the palate, I found dark red, very sweet raspberry fruit, purple/lavender tones, licorice, and spices. This was a surprisingly sweet, elegant vintage of Dunn Howell Mountain, but is still very youthful and primary, so it seems like it has a while to go to develop tertiary complexity. (3713 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 9/9/2020 & rated 91 points: this wasn't nearly as good as the '99 I had a week ago... felt a little heavy / oaky / bulky for me and frankly I'm thinking that it is simply going through awkward adolescence... if I'm strong I will wait ten years for the next... reminded me in style (tho very diff due to the diff variatals) of the '06 - or even some '05 - red burgs... big / dense / less elegant... needs time for sure in my view... certainly did improve over the 5 hours it was in decanter (3863 views) | | | Tasted by jnocera on 8/25/2020 & rated 94 points: Classic Dunn, in a really good spot right now. (3648 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain: 1979–2014 (Aug 2018) (8/1/2018)
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vintage Retrospective: The 2008 Napa Valley Cabernets (May 2018) (5/18/2018)
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (howell Mountain) Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (3/20/2016)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Vinous Table: California Classics at Bar Boulud, New York (Jan 2015) (1/1/2015)
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Howell Mountain) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Vinous Table: California Classics at Bar Boulud, New York (Jan 2015) (1/1/2015)
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Howell Mountain) Subscribe to see review text. | By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (11/23/2012)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (11/20/2012)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (11/20/2012)
(Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2012, IWC Issue #162
(Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley (Dec 2011)
(Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Howell Mountain) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Dunn Vineyards Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Howell Mountain Howell Mountain |
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