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)

Sterling Merlot Doesn’t Quite Hold Up

2002 Sterling Vineyards Merlot

Before the recent wedding, at which I’d had my first two Sterling Vineyards wines, I’d never heard of the place. Which, as it turns out, puts me in something of a minority, since they produce, oh, just this side of a half million cases of wine every year.

But I’ve found it’s often good to go into something knowing as little as possible. I tasted this Merlot not knowing if this was some small craft winery and the bride and groom knew the winemaker personally, had visited the vines themselves, and had maybe even picked some of the grapes.

One taste, however, and that notion went out the door. This is California Merlot exactly as you expect it. Which, might be a great thing. For me, it was more than a little boring.

The wine is beautful in the glass, a rich ruby red you can’t see through, but that light dances with around the edges. On the nose was a smattering of black fruit, but subtle, and a heaping nostrilfull of oak-imparted flavors (mostly of oak itself, but also some chocolate and some tobacco).

The wine is medium-bodied with soft tannins sure to insult no one. Some sour red cherry and lots of coffee on the palate. Nothing really screams out to me, and there is little here that could possibly offend. In other words, it’s probably the perfect wine for an event like a wedding, where lots and lots of (potentially very different) people need to be pleased.

But for you? For your dinner table? I’d probably pass.

Verdict: C+

2002 Chateau Souverain Winemaker’s Reserve Merlot

A Little Bit of Chateau So So

Alright, look. I’m no Sideways adherent. I won’t leave no matter how much merlot anyone orders. I’ll even drink it. It’s just not my favorite. Putting that out there. Full disclosure, as it were.

This was a wine I was actually excited to try. Not counting a bottle of 20-year-old Taylor Fladgate, it was the oldest in my cellar. I, as previously stated, don’t drink much merlot and am always looking for that bottle that will slap my ass and call me Susan, making me fall in love with the grape.

This one wasn’t it. But it definitely wasn’t bad, either.

In the glass, the wine is almost black. It’s among the darkest of purple-reds I’ve seen, at least lately. On the nose, after a vigorous swirl, were pleasing notes of black fruit and chocolate. My interest was piqued. This seemed like something new from merlot (at least in my opinion/experience).

On the palate, however, this is definitely a merlot. The wine is dry and cloying, really sucks on your tongue, but I couldn’t get excited about it. It’s really a very alcoholic wine (at 14.7% ABV) and that comes through loud and clear. The black fruit from the nose is passed to the palate, but the chocolate note is no where to be found, and a sort of wet stone flavor replaces it.

Again, the wine isn’t bad. A drinking partner and I made no bones about being able to finish the bottle. But, it just couldn’t get me excited, either about merlot, or about itself.

Verdict: B

2002 Chateau Souverain Winemaker's Reserve Merlot

2002 Chateau Souverain Winemaker's Reserve Merlot