Cade
Reserve Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA
We drove up Howell Mountain to get to Cade two Sundays ago. What we witnessed was a horror show of fire damage. It’s hard to see nature destroyed in such a fashion. What was worse were all the brick chimneys only standing where there were once a home or a winery building.
Glass fire note. The fire investigation revealed the fire was started by a Cakebread electric fence short. An additional saddening note is Dolores Cakebread, the co-founder of Cakebread Cellars died shortly after the Glass Fire started. She was 90. No way to know if the stress of the fire factored into her passing.
With the first taste, you could immediately sense the step up from the Howell Mtn. The fruit much more ruby and while the tannins still big but are more well rounded & soft. It’s decadent. The structure, tension less astringent and the length/balance more beautiful over the Howell Mtn. The fruits, ripe juicier & ruby; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, fresh roast, leathery, graphite, herbaceous quality, tobacco, dry stems, some dark spice, softly layered baking spices, crushed rocks with florals that are fresh & candied; dark, red, purple framed in a field of understated lavender & brilliant violets. The acidity is excellent. The long, lush, elegant, well knitted & balanced finish is truly special persisting into dry, powdery tannins, earth & spice.
This will flirt with a 95-96 with ten years in bottle.
Photos of; Cade Estate vines, outside patio tasting area, infinity wall and their Estate Cabernet fruit unharvested. Sadly, about 80-85% of the 2020 Napa Valley Cabernet fruit will never see bottling.
We drove up Howell Mountain to get to Cade two Sundays ago. What we witnessed was a horror show of fire damage. It’s hard to see nature destroyed in such a fashion. What was worse were all the brick chimneys only standing where there were once a home or a winery building.
Glass fire note. The fire investigation revealed the fire was started by a Cakebread electric fence short. An additional saddening note is Dolores Cakebread, the co-founder of Cakebread Cellars died shortly after the Glass Fire started. She was 90. No way to know if the stress of the fire factored into her passing.
With the first taste, you could immediately sense the step up from the Howell Mtn. The fruit much more ruby and while the tannins still big but are more well rounded & soft. It’s decadent. The structure, tension less astringent and the length/balance more beautiful over the Howell Mtn. The fruits, ripe juicier & ruby; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, fresh roast, leathery, graphite, herbaceous quality, tobacco, dry stems, some dark spice, softly layered baking spices, crushed rocks with florals that are fresh & candied; dark, red, purple framed in a field of understated lavender & brilliant violets. The acidity is excellent. The long, lush, elegant, well knitted & balanced finish is truly special persisting into dry, powdery tannins, earth & spice.
This will flirt with a 95-96 with ten years in bottle.
Photos of; Cade Estate vines, outside patio tasting area, infinity wall and their Estate Cabernet fruit unharvested. Sadly, about 80-85% of the 2020 Napa Valley Cabernet fruit will never see bottling.
Reserve much smoother than the standard Cade. Reserve much more versatile than the standard Cade swine you have with a steak.
Reserve much smoother than the standard Cade. Reserve much more versatile than the standard Cade swine you have with a steak.
Nov 21st, 2022
