1995 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Selection

The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Select revealed some rough tannin when I tasted it in October. While none of these wines is filtered, the Smiths did do a light egg white fining in an attempt to produce a more civilized style. The 1995 is deep, muscular, rich, and impressive, but it is in need of 5-6 years of cellaring. I suspect this wine will age effortlessly for another two decades. La Jota's two Cabernet Sauvignon cuvees are similar in quality. The Howell Mountain Select and Anniversary Release share dense, concentrated, full-bodied personalities with superlative levels of fruit and extract. The Anniversary cuvee usually has a bit more depth, ripeness, and overall potential, but that is not always easily discernable when they are young. Each wine will last - at the minimum - 20 years. Readers can decide whether they prefer the more open-knit opulence of the 1994, the more austere, jagged tannins of the big 1995, or the forceful power of the 1996. Tel. (707) 965-3020; Fax (707) 963-7874