Duckhorn Howell Mountain 2019

Howell Mountain cabs hold a special place in my heart because before Hurricane Katrina I had an excellent collection of Dunn Howell Mountain cabs. I was expecting this bottle to blow me away… but it did not. Still, it was a pretty cherry-ish wine, with some vegetal nuance, balanced acidity and a hint of some sort of mint. I even thought I tasted some apple. I liked this wine a LOT, but it was $100 a bottle and my expectations were high, perhaps too high. I will say it was the kind of wine that held one’s interest, with or without food. And it was better with the grilled filet than it was with the grilled filet plus Bearnaise sauce. I would never turn down this wine… but next time I’m shopping for a Friday night splurge I’ll try something else. Robb Report said: The team at Duckhorn has recognized Howell Mountain’s unique terroir and has been making a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon since 1989. Because of the deep color, rich texture, and excellent structure of these mountain wines, they choose to age them for an additional year in bottle before release. The 2019 is a blend of 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 9 percent Merlot, and 1 percent Cabernet Franc. It has aromas of black currant, cigar box, eucalyptus, and black raspberry with flavors of dark chocolate, Mission fig, espresso bean, and dried cherry.