Dunn Howell Mountain, Through The (Recent) Years

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to taste a vertical selection of Dunn Vineyard’s Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with cellar master and assistant winemaker, Mike Dunn.

I tasted the wine from the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages, and I have notes to share on each. What I can say at the very least is that Dunn is some very good wine. If you haven’t had it, get your hands on it. There are two labels: Dunn Howell Mountain and Dunn Napa Valley. The former is the more prestigious of the two, with 100% of the grapes coming from the Howell Mountain sub-AVA, whereas the latter will include up to 15% grapes from the Napa Valley floor.

Also a word of warning: these wines aren’t cheap. You’d be hard-pressed to find any of these vintages for less than the $75-$100 range per bottle. So keep that in mind as well. On to the wines.

2002 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

A dark ruby red in the glass, this wine really has the Cali Cab look to it. On the nose is a wonderful wet stone note, a general earthiness, marked with a very dark fruit note (perhaps rhubarb). On the palate are notes of raspberry and cranberry, and while I found the wine nicely structured, the tannins seemed a bit rough for a wine already 8 years from harvest. Perhaps it needs just a bit more time.

Verdict: 86/100

2003 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Even darker-looking in the glass than the ’02, the 2003 Dunn is a dark, dark red. The nose is pleasantly subtle and complex, with notes of black fruit mingling with a leather note. On the palate, this wine felt more mature than the 2002, with softer tannins, good acidity, and subtle notes of raspberry. This is a pretty fantastic Cabernet, and not at all bombastic like some California cult wines seem to be.

Verdict: 91/100

2004 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Speaking of darkening wine… the ’04 is almost black at its core, though it shifts to a brighter red at the edges, a more extreme shift in color than the first two wines showed. The nose here is a bit hot, either its youth or the 2004 growing season showing its stripes, but it is a bit hard to get around. The nose also shows off some red fruit and a dulled, almost like cooked, blackberry. The wine is clean but strong on the palate, with notes of red fruit and leaves. It’s still a bit too hot, and needs some years, but will probably be very good after some more time.

Verdict: 88/100

2005 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

This vintage shows off a bit more in the glass, the color is a rich ruby red in the core, and fades to an almost pastel color on the edges. And this wine is different from the previous three in other ways, as well: the nose is full of forest floor, mushroom and bark, and pine needles. Awesomely stinky in a way. On the palate this wine shows a lot of structure for its relative youth, soft tannins, a good balance of alcohol and acid, with pleasant notes of smoky leather, red cherry, and earth. My favorite of the bunch by a smidge, I think the 2005 Dunn will be exceptional in 10 years’ time.

Verdict: 92/100

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelyndurston/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Vintage Bubbly From The Heart Of Napa

2006 Chandon Yountville Vintage Brut

We’re doing family dinners with my wife’s family on Sundays these days. It’s a good time, as they’re fun people and the food is almost embarrassingly good. Also fun is my in-laws’ penchant for, and constant supply of, California sparkling wine.

This last Sunday we got together, ate some fantastic Asian-inspired chicken, and watched Team USA take it to the home-ice-advantaged Canadians in Olympic Ice Hockey. Was a great game either way, was made even better by Uncle Sam’s 5-3 triumph. We also drank some bubbly, including this vintage brut from one of Napa’s mainstay sparkling producers.

The wine is a pale yellow in the glass, and the bubbles are noticeably slow-moving. It’s like they deliberately stalk the top of the glass. The nose is yeasty and light, with a hint of sour apple.

The 2006 Yountville Brut is a light-bodied wine, sharp, with a medium-length finish that neither disappoints nor overwhelms. It tastes a bit of lemon, a bit more of sour (think Granny Smith) apple, and even more of sourdough bread. It’s not the crispest or cleanest brut I’ve had, the yeastiness weighs it down some, but it’s a very enjoyable drink.

An excellent wine for celebrating a major national hockey victory–or just another great Sunday with family.

Verdict: B+

2006 Chandon Yountville Vintage Brut

2006 Chandon Yountville Vintage Brut

His M.O.? Freakin’ Good Cabernet

2007 Modus Operandi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Last night I attended a (relatively-)small tasting event at the downtown Napa offices of VinTank. The David Lynch-esque surreality of meeting so many people I had theretofore only “spoken” to over email, Twitter, Facebook, and blog comments aside, it was an incredible evening and I drank some rather good wine.

But this, this was special.

I met Jason Moore, winemaker/partner/cofounder of Modus Operandi Cellars, and all-around pretty badass dude. His story is a good one, and you can check it out on his winery’s website… but this is neither truly here nor there. Lots of people out there with neat stories are making mediocre wine. Luckily for Jason (honestly, it’s got nothing to do with luck–it’s mad skills) he’s not one of them.

The 2007 Cabernet from Modus Operandi is gorgeous in the glass, a deep rich ruby red that fades to an almost-pink at the very edges. It never quite gets to pink, but it looks like it tries to. When I first took a whiff of this wine in the glass, I looked right at Jason and said, “Cool! Whoa, there is something really neat here. I like this!”

It took me a couple more sniffs to pinpoint it, but here’s my take on the nose: the fruit is red, but dark, like really awesome cherry. All very subtle, with good oak and something I’m referring to as “sweet leather.” It’s a really quite impressive nose. On the palate this is absolute Napa, with big notes of chocolate, raspberry, and tobacco. The wine features a medium-to-full body, with a long finish and sharp tannins. The tannins in this wine are begging to be given some time in the bottle, so I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say the 2007 M.O. Cab will be even better in the next 2-5 years.

Verdict: A-