January 23, 2024 - A perfectly stored bottle since release. A quick 20 min decant was perfect. Almost fully resolved tannins with well judged fruit and overall great balance. Pleasantly surprised with this. No doubt this is in its prime but will drink well for at least 5 more years. The fruit really stole the show here.
November 22, 2020 - Opened the night before. It was beautiful. Smooth and rich dark fruit. Very balanced.
Wish I had more to see where it goes but glad I drank this now. It's in a great place.
November 20, 2020 - Big and rich, but at this point the bright fruit has subsided and it came across as overly extracted and heavy in the mid palate.
November 2, 2019 - Don't know what was missing from a bottle about a year ago, but this one was stellar. All the usual attributes, along with surprising complexity and surprisingly vibrant fruit for a wine this old. Extremely rich and very well balanced, with a great finish. Bought this from the winery for $72. Now, it's $110 (and I don't buy it anymore).
October 6, 2019 - Rich, intense, racy red fruit - very much what I expect from Howell Mountain. There is a lovely dusty dryness on the finish too, though there is some congestion on the mid-palate. Paid $80+ tax for this and that's probably fair pricing.
April 9, 2019 - flawed! I think this settles it for me about screw top vs cork. smells and tastes like metal. not good. worse than a corked wine
October 8, 2018 - Previous bottle about a year ago was a religious experience, but this one was merely very good. Opened about 45 minutes before drinking, but it really began to sing after another hour or so. Great body and finish, but missing that extra wow factor. holding up just fine - it may still improve.
September 8, 2018 - Very good. This was one with a metal screwcap back when they did some in cork and some in metal screwcaps. No issue. Wine was outstanding.
November 23, 2017 - Pnp. Hit peak at about an hour or two. Not quite as good as last bottle. Lost some fruit and not gaining anything to replace it. Pretty good right now but not great.
May 27, 2017 - WOTN (by far) at a wine-centric party. I overheard several people saying "who brought the Cade?" and "Have you tried the Cade?" Punches way above its weight. Very assertive nose. Extremely rich, showing red, black, and blue fruits along with cedar, spices and minerals. Great finish. I frankly hadn't expected this much from an '08 Napa Cab that got an 88 score from a certain high-circulation wine magazine. Beautifully balanced, and it should last (or even improve) for years.