Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

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.

It has been awhile since my last 02 Ladera Howell Mountain and this is my last bottle.

This bottle is even better than my last six years ago. The fruits shine brighter. The structure & slight alcohol heat are even bigger than memory.

The one thing I adore about good Howell Mountain producers is the mix of purple fruits and the amazing beautiful blue fruits that follow.

The nose reveals, bright, ripe, slightly candied & hot; blackberries, black cherries, black plum,black raspberries, mixed purple fruits, blueberries, hints of dry cranberries and poached strawberries. Anise to black licorice, mid red cola, dry crushed rocks, steeped fruit teas, limestone minerals, alluvial soils, saddle-wood, soft leather, hints of fresh tobacco leaf, light; dark spice, clove, nutmeg & vanillin. Touch of cooked, green bell pepper with fresh, slightly candied, dark, red, blue flowers with violets.

The 02 vintage is peaking. The body is just full. The structure, tension, length and balance are in perfect harmony. Tannins are 55-60% resolved. She is a beauty on the palate. Somewhat candied & ripe; blackberries, black cherries, black plum, black raspberries, mixed purple fruits, blueberries, hints of dry cranberries and poached strawberries. Mixed purple & blue liqueured notes. Anise to black licorice, mid red cola, dry crushed rocks, mid dark spices, steeped fruit teas, dark expresso roast, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, alluvial soils, dark, rich, moist soil, saddle-wood, soft leather, hints of fresh tobacco leaf, light; dark spice, clove, nutmeg & vanillin. Dark chocolate, mocha, milk chocolate, salted caramel, touch of cooked, green bell, mint with fresh, slightly candied, dark, red, blue flowers with violets and lavender. The acidity is perfect...in the range of cool rain shower. The long finish is; ripe, well balanced, delicious and persists nicely for several minutes.

This bottle has another 5-8 years of good drinking ahead of it.

Photos of; Ladera’s entrance and patio, entrance, barrel room and hillside Estate vineyard.

No full detailed notes as we had guests for dinner and none left to re-taste today.

This a classic Howell Mountain Cabernet in every way except the price I paid for vintages 2010 and prior. I’ve been able to find it at Costco for around $45. However, I haven’t seen it at Costco since then. Still a blue chip Howell Mountain producer and a steal at that price.

The palate revealed, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, classic Howell Mountain blue fruits and strawberries as it opened up after a 1/2 hour in the glass. Loads of baking spices, excellent structure and length, well balanced fruit and earth loads of violets and lavender, really good acidity and a long, beautiful finish that persisted minutes.

Photos of; their beautiful Howell Mountain property, their barrel/tasting-dining room, terrace tasting patio and their Estate vines.

This drank nicely last night but, would wait another five years to open another. Still has not hit its peak and will age gracefully for another ten plus years.

Bottle enjoyed last night. Notes are from memory today.

While 2010 is not my favorite Napa vintage, it was not bad. In many 2010’s I’ve had, the structure, texture and body are just not quite all there. However, Howell Mountain wines, for me, faired better.

There are a number of good Howell Mountain producers, Dunn being one of my favorites. I think Ladera Vineyards is one of the more underrated Howell Mountain producers. Especially, at a Costco price of around $45.

The blue fruits that shine in Howell Mountain wines are always unmistakable. Blueberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blackberries, raspberry cola, light spice, soft leather, saddle-wood, lavender and violets. Beautiful acidity. The structure is good. The body round and elegant. The length, tension and balance just now coming into its own. Still needs a few more years to hit its peak. The finish is soft, round, elegant and beautiful. Lasts full two minutes.

Photos of; the winery and beautiful grounds, outside terrace, special event tasting & dinning room and their Estate vines.

On the nose; bright, ripe, perfume floral, stewed fruits of; boysenberries, plums, blackberries, black raspberries, dark chard cherries, mocha, caramel, hints of vanilla, anise, light spice, lavender, lilacs and violets. The palate is; rich, ripe and sexy. The tannins nearly completely resolved. It’s deliciously gorgeous. The fruits are; ripe, rich, bright and slightly dark on the palate. It’s in a lavish place. Loads of blue fruits, blackberries, dark cherries, plum, black raspberries & raspberry jam with just the right amount of floral tones. Dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, anise, a touch herbaceous, eucalyptus, dry crushed rocks, rich, black earth, dusty slightly tarry tannins, stones, used leather, touch of graphite, tobacco with ash, lavender, lilacs, lavender, acidity that runs like a waterfall over the palate, a long, beautiful, rich, ripe, well balanced with very good length and structure after 13 years in bottle. The 02 still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead. Owned by the Plumpjack Group/Cade since late 2016; which sits just the other side of the hill from Ladera. We’ll see how and if the style evolves. Photos of; their beautiful Estate property, grand private tasting and vineyard. One additional photo showing one of the reasons Howell Mountain is so great. It sits above the fog line allowing for more sun and easier ripping of fruit.

Not as feral as some Howell Mountain Cabs, but had delicious stewed blackberry and a hint of cocoa and black minerals.

This '07 was outstanding. A favorite of mine

"Big boy Cabernet"

Nice..nice..nice!!!
I've always been a fan of '06 Napa and this was another great example.
The nose shows a bit (over)ripe but the wine delivers on the palate and is nicely layered and balanced.
94+ in my book.
Kudos to winemaker Karen Culler!

Pretty darn nice, soft tannins, nice fruit, paired great with ribs and sauce.