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Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Napa Valley - Stringer Cellars

Reviews

95 points - International Wine Report

This Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon offers captivating aromas of ripe red and black fruits, intertwined with delicate notes of resinous herbs and a touch of earthy spice. On the palate, it delivers a luxurious mouthfeel, unveiling layers of blackberry, red currant, and wild berry bramble, all perfectly balanced in this full-bodied wine. The robust yet refined tannins provide structure, enhancing the wine's depth and complexity. A lingering finish of dark fruit, subtle herbs, and a whisper of oak leaves a lasting impression, making this Cabernet a wonderful expression of Howell Mountain's terroir.

94+ - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from the Rocky Ridge Vineyard (Mondavi-owned, Barbour-farmed), Stringer's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a blend of Clones 191 and 337, aged in 80% new French oak. It's classic Howell Mountain on the nose, with hints of pine boughs accenting blueberries and cassis, plus grace notes of pencil shavings. Full-bodied and concentrated, it's framed by ripe but firm tannins that give the suggestion that there's more to come with cellaring.

94 - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a little broody, with notes of tar, earth, and crushed rocks over cassis and blackberries with underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is firm and grainy, with muscular fruit and an earthy finish.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
- James Suckling
Aromas of ripe blackberries, plum skins, toasted cedar, ground spices and moist bark. Medium- to full-bodied, polished and sleek with fine tannins. Juicy blue fruit underneath and a textured, lightly chewy finish.

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Napa Valley

New $125.00 |  750mL
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Vineyard & Region
Made exclusively from grapes grown at Rocky Ridge Vineyard on Las Posadas Road. The southwest facing slope of the vineyard crests at 1650 feet above the valley floor—beyond the reach of cooling fog and afternoon heat spikes. White tufa and red loam soil are studded with rhyolitic rock for excellent drainage. This cool site is the last vineyard we pick each year, usually near the end of October. We source clone 191 and clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rocky Ridge.

Varietal Composition & Elevage
98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petite Sirah 
in 75% new French oak for 19 months

Winemaking
Clone 337 and 191 cofermented. Hand Picked, destemmed, and then moved to a stainless open top tank and new bdx barrels for fermentation. 4 day cold soak in open top, inoculated and allowed to reach 95 degrees early in fermentation. Barrels rotated 3 times a day and tank pumped over/ punched down 3 times a day then two later in fermentation. Wine was on its skins for 21 days before being pressed at dryness. Free run juice kept separate from press.

Tasting Notes
The 2021 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon presents a nearly opaque deep red hue. Aromas of wild blackberry, cassis, and red currant blend harmoniously with hints of wild sage and the earthy essence of a redwood forest floor. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, revealing flavors of red rock minerality, anise, and clove, balanced by bright acidity. The texture is defined by dusty tannins, with subtle notes of porcini mushroom and pine leaf, promising a graceful aging potential.

Technical Data
pH: 3.7 TA: 6g/L Alc.: 14.6%

  • WinemakerCasey Stringer
  • RegionNapa Valley
  • AppellationHowell Mountain
  • VineyardRocky Ridge


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