February 4, 2024 - Wine is drinking beautifully. Same plum notes on nose and palate but now some cassis and blackberry are evident. Tannins are resolved but dry and the finish after three hours open is not very long just a few seconds but there is good minerality and overall this is an excellent bottle of wine.
August 19, 2019 - We consumed this over a couple of nights and it held up very well even into tonight. Fragrant and fruity on the nose, the plum and chocolate flavors dominated the palate. Still a tingly 20 seconds finish so the wine still has some life left. But why wait since it is drinking so nicely right now? My very last sip was replete with plums and eucalyptus such a nice ending!
August 14, 2015 - Pretty good right now, needs a little time in glass to show up.
March 20, 2012 - Inky garnet color with purple hue. Subtle aromas of blackberry, blue berry, currant, sour cherry showing some red fruit characteristics, wrapped in an earthy tone and a layer of black pepper, anise and cedar, revealing an herbal bouquet with eucalyptus, dusty graphite & mineral. Full-bodied and very well-balanced, loaded with plum, blackberry, black currant and black cherry on the attack. Still powerful tannin with bright acidity forming a velvety and elevated mid-palate, transforming into a long and complex finish with black berry, cherry, ripe raspberry, licorice, tobacco, coffee and chalk. Tannin overpowers the palate at first but softens into a great harmony with only half an hour of breathing time. Drink well now, but with its strong tannin and fresh acidity, this wine will evolve in the bottle for another few years to come. This is not the best Howell Mountain I've tasted, but it is a wonderful showcase of its terroir along with a true statement of what Howell Mountain has to offer. 90 points PLUS!
December 31, 2010 - In doubt as to this being anywhere near "over the hill," I opened 1 of 2 bottles stored cool, albeit passively, in an underground closet. It's now been open overnight. Lots of secondary notes here. Spice-box, tobacco, vanilla, plum, framboise. I think this still has something to offer. Don't decant, just serve. It was fruitier out of the bottle. Pencil lead, black currant, not at all tannic for me-nice and dispersed. Very interesting woodsy / herbacious notes here, a bit of cola too. Nice acid.
December 28, 2010 - This one was unfortunately over-the-hill. My last bottle of this was amazing when I drank it about three years ago. At this point though, the fruit was gone. However, the tannins remained remarkably stiff. It needed decanting and a couple of hours to mellow and open a little. If you have any of this in your cellar, DRINK IT NOW!
April 30, 2010 - This wine needed to be decanted. It was oaky, however even after a few minutes it opened up nicely. It was the last 2002 Howell Mountain I had. Very good bottle of wine to enjoy.
February 22, 2010 - Very smooth! It could have used a couple hours of decanting.
December 15, 2009 - Rich, brooding fruit with depth and smoothness. After some time it revealed some cherry cola flavors that I enjoyed. This wine was very nice but no doubt has some time left in it. An impressive and muscular Cab that you can recommend.
September 28, 2009 - beautiful wine, dark colour. full bodied and exceptionally smooth. i will buy this wine again