Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

aromas of black currants, violets, loam, smoke, pine and felt tip marker ~ adding cassis, iron filings and graphite to the palate

Very intense pure fruit. Plum, pencil lead, iron. High in flavor and alcohol. Punchy.

Blind dinner, open theme, mid-week at The Elm in Great Barrington MA.

Rich nose of cigar box, cedar and black fruit. Silky yet heady mouthfeel of cassis and dark red and more black fruit, saddle leather and Italian espresso roast. Lonnnng finish of black cherry and bitter chocolate notes. Phenomenal, needs at least 2-3 more years. ❤️

Soft, lovely, bread-y nose of black currant fur, licorice, light mint forcing upward, sprouting through potting soil. Cinnamon and blueberry warmly embraced by dark bread and small specks of black pepper. Fruit tannins thickly house-painted across your front teeth in a real sense. Muscle. Licorice-charcoal, bitters, blackberry, black currant, graphite-smoke halo, black cherry, oak and cedar, wound up and closed in places, but powerhouse lurking in the shadows.



#lajota #lajotavineyardco #lajotahowellmountainestate
#howellmountain #oakville #napa #napavalley #cab #cabernetsaugvinon

2012 - drink if you got them - not improving from a year ago - big and bold but missing one gear from being a sports car I want it to be - still smiling at the lake with @R Bowers on his anniversary and not social distancing very well

A few fun 4th Friday wines from tonight.

This was more elegant than expected. Beautiful notes of cherry vanilla tobacco, baked black cherry pie, plum, and spiced rhubarb aromatics. On the palate, there are red and black fruits, peppercorn, cherry cordial, cherry smoked wood. Less tannic than expected. In a good spot now, so I’m not sure if it’s just a unique drinking window to be this accessible this early (these normally have massive tannins that help these age for 10-15 easy).

Another fantastic 1990. So youthful and one of my favorite wines of the evening

Nose was gone and old with salty olives, but full and dark in the mouth.

Epic and still has legs