2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
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Opzioni di acquisto
Note di degustazione
(14.8% alcohol; the estate harvested until November 4 in 2010): Bright, dense ruby-red. Spectacular nose combines dark raspberry, plum, cocoa powder, saline minerality and nutty oak; the first of these vintages to show any real sign of development. Wonderfully tactile but more backward in the mouth than the nose suggests, with the element of saline minerality carrying through. There's a hint of greenness here, even a slightly disjointed quality, but the wine boasts terrific intensity and claret-like complexity and finishes very long and savory, with dusty, palate-saturating tannins. When I first tasted this wine from the bottle I was put off by some rather pungent notes of eucalyptus and creosote but those elements have all but disappeared. This may be in an awkward stage today but I suspect it will be long-lived. Capiaux told me that the fruit set was quite large in 2010 and that because the ripening was so far behind schedule he dropped a full 25% of the crop just before veraison in an attempt to get the rest ripe.
Punteggi della critica
Punteggio medio
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Altre recensioni e punteggi
(15.1% alcohol; blended with 7% merlot, 3% malbec, 2% petit verdot and 2% St. Macaire; from vines picked between October 11 and November 4): Good bright ruby-red. Black cherry, tobacco, chocolate mint and eucalyptus on the rather oaky nose, plus a pungent note of creosote. Then nicely ripe and juicy in the mouth, with surprising sweetness and attractive floral lift to the slightly medicinal redcurrant, licorice and mint flavors. Ultimately more red fruit than black in character. Finishes with broad, fine-grained tannins and good verve. I was initially put off by the strident nose but the wine calmed down markedly in the glass.
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain covers every inch of the palate with layers of deep, rich, dark fruit. Blueberries, blackberries, violet and cloves seem to pop right out of the glass in this juicy, extroverted wine. Deceptively approachable, the 2010 has plenty of tannin lurking beneath its massive fruit. I would not be surprised if the 2010 shuts down in bottle. It is one of the deepest, inkiest 2010s I tasted from Howell Mountain. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030. Betty O’Shaughnessy and her winemaker Sean Capiaux make some of the most compelling Cabernets in California. These are among my favorite wines to drink at home. Best, of all they remain exceptionally well-priced considering the quality of what is in the glass. Tel. (707) 965-2898
(blended with 7% merlot, 3% malbec and 2% each petit verdot and St. Macaire): Good bright ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, licorice and dark chocolate. Dense and energetic but not yet revealing its personality. Tight today verging on medicinal, with a strong licorice quality throughout. Plenty of underlying richness here but the 2009 shows more definition and personality. Finishes with strong chocolatey oak tannins. There was a lot of culling of fruit here in 2010, down to one cluster per shoot in some vineyard blocks, noted Capiaux.