Ladera Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA
I coravined a taste of this last weekend and had my first major disappointment with Ladera. That all changed with a 45 minute decant & food tonight.
This bottling & for many vintages in the early 2000’s was the steal of Howell Mountain producers. I was buying it at Costco for $41-$45. Now & for some time, you can’t find a bottle of this at Costco regardless of price.
The nose as I was decanting it was very perfumed florals with potpourri. Now, the nose sings with the blue & purple fruits that identify wine as a Howell Mountain producer. Blackberries, blueberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, sweet tarriness, dark, berry cola, black licorice, dry & fresh herbs-bay leaf driven, limestone, dry crushed rocks, softly laid baking spices; clove, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, dark spice, dark chocolate bar, dry tobacco, some graphite, soft, used leather with spectacular, candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in soft violets & fields of lavender.
The body is full, rich, lush and round. The tannins are nicely resolved but, still show baby teeth & tarriness. The tension, structure, length and balance are just the other side of peak. Blackberries, blueberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, sweet, very dark, tarriness, cherry kirsch liqueur, dark, berry cola, black licorice, dry & fresh herbs-bay leaf driven, limestone, dry crushed rocks, moist clay, softly laid baking spices; clove, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, black tea, dark spice with comfortable palate heat, dark chocolate bar, expresso roast, dry tobacco, some graphite, soft, used leather with spectacularly floral, candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in soft violets & fields of lavender. The acidity is near perfect & holds back the slightly higher ABV. The finish is; rich, round, elegant, sexy, gorgeous, velvety, well balanced and persist endlessly.
Not as outstanding as their 2002 but, very good & still has another 8 years & possibly plus of good drinking ahead. Proper storage of course.
Photos of; Ladera & their beautiful flowered Estate, barrel tasting room, entrance sign with Estate vines & a visual of why Howell Mountain is such a great terroir. It’s above the fog-line and therefore gets more sun than the Napa Valley floor. More sun and cooler temperature at elevation means longer fruit hang time & more even fruit ripening.
I coravined a taste of this last weekend and had my first major disappointment with Ladera. That all changed with a 45 minute decant & food tonight.
This bottling & for many vintages in the early 2000’s was the steal of Howell Mountain producers. I was buying it at Costco for $41-$45. Now & for some time, you can’t find a bottle of this at Costco regardless of price.
The nose as I was decanting it was very perfumed florals with potpourri. Now, the nose sings with the blue & purple fruits that identify wine as a Howell Mountain producer. Blackberries, blueberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, sweet tarriness, dark, berry cola, black licorice, dry & fresh herbs-bay leaf driven, limestone, dry crushed rocks, softly laid baking spices; clove, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, dark spice, dark chocolate bar, dry tobacco, some graphite, soft, used leather with spectacular, candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in soft violets & fields of lavender.
The body is full, rich, lush and round. The tannins are nicely resolved but, still show baby teeth & tarriness. The tension, structure, length and balance are just the other side of peak. Blackberries, blueberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, sweet, very dark, tarriness, cherry kirsch liqueur, dark, berry cola, black licorice, dry & fresh herbs-bay leaf driven, limestone, dry crushed rocks, moist clay, softly laid baking spices; clove, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, black tea, dark spice with comfortable palate heat, dark chocolate bar, expresso roast, dry tobacco, some graphite, soft, used leather with spectacularly floral, candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in soft violets & fields of lavender. The acidity is near perfect & holds back the slightly higher ABV. The finish is; rich, round, elegant, sexy, gorgeous, velvety, well balanced and persist endlessly.
Not as outstanding as their 2002 but, very good & still has another 8 years & possibly plus of good drinking ahead. Proper storage of course.
Photos of; Ladera & their beautiful flowered Estate, barrel tasting room, entrance sign with Estate vines & a visual of why Howell Mountain is such a great terroir. It’s above the fog-line and therefore gets more sun than the Napa Valley floor. More sun and cooler temperature at elevation means longer fruit hang time & more even fruit ripening.
Either the bottle was off or it simply wasn't a good time to open the 04 Napa Ladera. Showing blueberries, black plum, black licorice, straw/hay and a dry strong mineral finish.
Either the bottle was off or it simply wasn't a good time to open the 04 Napa Ladera. Showing blueberries, black plum, black licorice, straw/hay and a dry strong mineral finish.
Aug 29th, 2015
Dark ruby. Medium nose with black currant, black cherry and a hint of earth/forest floor. Medium plus body. Medium alcohol. Medium flavor intensity with black cherry, wild blackberry, clove, and mushroom. Gripping tannins. Medium finish with lingering black cherry and cranberry notes. Very good wine, but doesn't jump out of the glass in any way and only moderate complexity...lacks a "hook".
Dark ruby. Medium nose with black currant, black cherry and a hint of earth/forest floor. Medium plus body. Medium alcohol. Medium flavor intensity with black cherry, wild blackberry, clove, and mushroom. Gripping tannins. Medium finish with lingering black cherry and cranberry notes. Very good wine, but doesn't jump out of the glass in any way and only moderate complexity...lacks a "hook".
Aug 2nd, 2014
Stupid wire wine rack. This rocked. Focused, intense red fruit, great structure. Still young, at its best w bout 4 hrs of air.
Stupid wire wine rack. This rocked. Focused, intense red fruit, great structure. Still young, at its best w bout 4 hrs of air.
Mar 5th, 2014
Overshadowed our kalbi tonight, but I'm not complaining. Really well integrated now. Glad that I held out on opening this!
Overshadowed our kalbi tonight, but I'm not complaining. Really well integrated now. Glad that I held out on opening this!
Sep 11th, 2017'05 Howell Mountain still had something special to offer this evening. Mellow tannins and a smooth, if not long, finish. For my palate, not many years left. A tiny bit left to try tomorrow.
'05 Howell Mountain still had something special to offer this evening. Mellow tannins and a smooth, if not long, finish. For my palate, not many years left. A tiny bit left to try tomorrow.
Apr 2nd, 2017
Lots of tannin still but a great wine.
Lots of tannin still but a great wine.
Dec 25th, 2016Day three and the tannins have finally settled down. Dark fruit. Drinking nicely but needs time after opening.
Day three and the tannins have finally settled down. Dark fruit. Drinking nicely but needs time after opening.
Oct 29th, 2016
Lost a little bit of fruit, but this beaut is still drinking plenty nice. Plenty of texture, classic Howell Mtn dusty palette and a nice long finish. I'm a huge Ladera fan.
Lost a little bit of fruit, but this beaut is still drinking plenty nice. Plenty of texture, classic Howell Mtn dusty palette and a nice long finish. I'm a huge Ladera fan.
May 13th, 2016