2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaOak KnollRutherfordStags LeapUSA

MARTIN RAY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery embraces the “wines of place” philosophy, perenially producing wines that showcase the best of the region’s site-specific terroir. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon blends four different sought-after appellations: Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll, Rutherford, and Stags Leap District, giving this wine diversity from the select vineyards.
 
This release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that underwent hand punch-downs for two weeks in open-top fermenters and then aged in 40% new French oak for 16 months. Any wine drinker familiar with Martin Ray knows the consistency of high quality from vintage to vintage the wines have to offer, and the 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon hits a home run for the superior level of sophistication in the bottle at this price.
 
MARTIN RAY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $30
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“Deep and manicured with blueberry and blackberry aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and tight with super polished tannins and a tight, racy finish. Beautifully crafted tannins make this exciting. Better after 2022, but already beautiful. Screw cap.”
93 Points
2019 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSAYountville

DUCKHORN

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Duckhorn made their first Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in 1978 and has only missed one vintage in over 40 years. Their Cabernet consistently delivers a lush, rich, eclectic taste of Napa because it’s a blend of many of their estate properties, including Rector Creek in Yountville, Monitor Ledge in Calistoga, Stout on Howell Mountain, and even their historic Three Palms Vineyard.
 
The 2019 vintage saw an ideal summer without any significant heatwaves, ensuring an even ripening of the grapes and more complex flavor development. The blend consists of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot aged 16 months in 100% French oak (50% new and 50% neutral), creating a soulful balance between the fruit and the oak.
 
DUCKHORN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY 
Retails at: $78
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“The Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a rich, powerful wine with deep concentration and firm structure. The nose and palate are in sync with wild mountain blackberries, ripe Bing cherries, cedar, pie spices, dried herbs, and vanilla hints. Although compact and firm now, the intensity of sweet fruit on the palate blooms from under the youthful, slightly gripping fruit tannins, after a little time in the glass. The intensity of fruit combined with the foundational structure tells me this one has a couple of decades of good living ahead of it.”
94 Points
2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

RUDIUS

SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
In 1998, David Abreu and Rick Forman planted a tiny 1.3-acre plot at the top of Howell Mountain at an elevation of 1780 feet. Each vintage, the Savory Estate vineyard shows off its vast potential with powerfully concentrated fruit, rock-solid structure, and supreme ageability, that’s vividly depicted in Rudius’s 2018 vintage.
 
Jeff Ames began his winemaking career interning with Lynn Penner-Ash in Oregon and later worked as Thomas Rivers Brown’s assistant winemaker for Outpost, Schrader, and TOR before becoming the head winemaker for TOR in 2005. The Savory Estate vineyard provides Jeff with the pieces to the puzzle that make up his hedonistic signature style, with past vintages scoring well into the upper 90s. Here’s an opportunity to own this incredibly limited Howell Mountain Cabernet, priced to savor.
 
RUDIUS
SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 
Retails at: $135
 
 
 
“The Rudius 2018 Savory Estate Cabernet is a visually compelling wine with an inky black center core and a deep ruby hue at the edges. The nose and palate dance beautifully together as they balance a vast array of compelling characteristics, including muddled blackberries, black currants, gunflint, dried green herbs, fresh cut violets, and Italian glove leather, along with hints of vanilla, baker’s chocolate, and white pepper. The palate is exceptionally concentrated and powerful yet finds the perfect symmetry between structure, intensity, and elegance. I struggled to find the perfect analogy to describe it, but it is like a bodybuilder who is also a world-class ballet dancer. It’s not what you’d expect at first glance but is thrilling to behold. I think this stunning effort is precisely what everybody looks for in an incredible mountain Cabernet. It is still a baby, and as great as it is now, you can enjoy it any time over the next several decades. Simply gorgeous!”
98 Points
2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91

2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRutherfordSt HelenaUSA

HEITZ CELLAR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 LOT C-91
2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91
Joe Heitz pioneered single-vineyard wines in Napa Valley, and in 1969 he blended select plots from his most prized vineyards, discovering that he could create a wine with the qualities he desired most – aging potential, complexity, and depth. Lot C-91 encompasses this art of assemblage, gracefully presented with concentrated fruit, focus, and sophisticated complexity. 
 
Heitz is a historic winery that continues to pursue the same traditional, age-worthy style for which they’re well known and respected. For the last 50 years, Heitz Cellar has sourced fruit for Lot C-91 from premium parcels in St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain, representing a step-up in quality, achieving the density and length of a genuinely fantastic wine, which recently earned an extraordinary score.
 
HEITZ CELLAR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 LOT C-91
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Blue fruit with stone, lavender and currant aromas and flavors. Fresh herbs too. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins. Such firmness and focus and beauty. A blend of all their top single vineyards. Drink or hold.”
96 Points
2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91

2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRutherfordSaint HelenaUSA

HEITZ CELLAR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 LOT C-91

2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91
Joe Heitz pioneered single-vineyard wines in Napa Valley, and in 1969 he blended select plots from his most prized vineyards, discovering that he could create a wine with the qualities he desired most – aging potential, complexity, and depth. Lot C-91 encompasses this art of assemblage, gracefully presented with concentrated fruit, focus, and sophisticated complexity.
 
Heitz is a historic winery that continues to pursue the same traditional, age-worthy style for which they’re well known and respected. For the last 50 years, Heitz Cellar has sourced fruit for Lot C-91 from premium parcels in St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain, representing a step-up in quality, achieving the density and length of genuinely fantastic wine.
 
HEITZ CELLAR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 LOT C-91
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“The presence of savory elements such as sage, rosemary, cured meats, and black pepper distinguishes this cuvée from any other. The conclusion of the Lot C-91 on the palate displays incredible complexity and harmony, and those who can afford to be patient will be rewarded for decades to come.” 
2019 James Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn's Reserve

2019 James Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn’s Reserve

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonCalistogaHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

JAMES JOSEPH

CABERNET SAUVIGNON  
2019 KATHRYN’S RESERVE

2019 James Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn's Reserve
For decades, James Joseph built a reputation for crafting age-worthy Cabernets that are powerfully elegant and profoundly hedonistic. The 2019 release embodies the brand’s fingerprint conveyed with Howell Mountain Cabernet’s concentration, Atlas Peak fruit’s depth, and Calistoga’s signature minerality. 
 
The 2019 vintage combines 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, elevated with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in barrel and crafted in a concentrated and showy style ladened with dark fruits, assorted chocolates, and rocky minerals. With just four barrels produced, don’t hesitate to secure this release.
 
JAMES JOSEPH
CABERNET SAUVIGNON  
2019 KATHRYN’S RESERVE
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Balance is one of the most important aspects of wine because when all the components are in balance, the wine effortlessly draws attention and acclaim. The 2019 James Joseph does just that, beginning with a nose of ripe cherry and blackberry fruit enveloped in sweet baking spices and cocoa, like a blueberry pie that your grandmother just took out of the oven. This rich and round wine finishes with velvety tannins that make it approachable in its youth, but the depth and concentration of flavors mean that this wine can also lay down for another ten years and develop further complexity.”
96 Points
2018 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 O’Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

O’SHAUGHNESSY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Flaunting Oakville fruit’s alluring complexity, Mount Veeder’s savory tinge, and combining Howell Mountain Cabernet’s focused concentration, O’Shaughnessy’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is epic. It’s a harmonious composition of the winery’s Estate vineyards, located in some of Napa Valley’s most elite neighborhoods. 
 
Since their inception, O’Shaughnessy’s winemaker has been Sean Capiaux, whom you might know from his work at Peter Michael or his brand Capiaux. He did a fantastic job on the reference-standard 2018 release, perfectly expressing Mountain terroir enriched with Oakville elegance. 
 
O’SHAUGHNESSY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“This is such an outstanding wine at any price, but here we’re talking about outstanding value as well. Notes of iron and crushed rock lead to a lengthy balance of juicy red fruit and clove. With small amounts of Merlot, Malbec, Saint-Macaire and Cabernet Franc, it shows a deft hand at blending, with lasting notes of black pepper and nuanced oak.”
97 Points, Editors’ Choice
2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

SPENCE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
The producers of Spence Howell Mountain Cabernet set out to create a wine that’s theirs alone, reflective of the specific characteristics of their exceptionally unique plot near Howell Mountain’s summit. Keenly focused on extracting what transpires in the vineyard, voiced in your glass with eloquence, purity, and individuality, their team is hands-off in the cellar. Their 2015 Howell Mountain Cabernet is sensationally intense, rivetingly defined, powerfully expressive, and an incredible value. 
 
Uniquely positioned above a canyon, Spence’s Vineyard benefits from consistent breezes, thickening the grape skins, contributing color and intensity. The site’s thick surface layer of red volcanic soil laced with rock allows rapid drainage, forcing the roots deep into the earth, extracting site-specific nuance.
 
Spence’s winemaker Ted Osborne began his career at Cakebread before gaining global experience in Australia, South Africa, and Bordeaux and returning to Napa Valley to make wine at Piña and Storybook Mountain. His focus is on vineyard-defined wines that unveil the site’s character in a balanced, elegant, and unique fashion through minimal-intervention winemaking.
 
SPENCE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“Coming from the Spence’s vineyard at 1,900’ elevation on top of Howell Mountain, this blockbuster Cabernet reminds me of watching a Cheetah run in slow motion. It’s firm and bursting with power, yet sleek, graceful, and elegant at the same time. It begins with a gorgeous nose of explosive black plums, fragrant violets, dusty cocoa powder, wet slate, dried mushrooms, and vanilla hints. This mind-blowing concoction is perfectly ripe on the palate, with concentrated crushed blackberries, exotic wild currants, stewed plums, baker’s chocolate, and scorched earth. It is wonderfully firm and amazingly complex and long on the palate, with mouth-quenching crushed-velvet tannins that, time after time, left me yearning for another sip. It is a decadent, amazingly sultry stunner now that will continue to drop jaws for well over another decade.” 
97 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

MARTIN RAY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Martin Ray’s entire team is devoted to crafting wines with a sense of place. They source fruit from hillside vineyards that encourage deep root systems which extract minerals and other deposits unique to their origin. For their Howell Mountain Cabernet, they choose Candlestick Ridge Vineyard at 2,250 feet elevation, where decomposed volcanic ash and red clay soils receive twice as much rain as the valley floor yet remain bone dry due to its porous composition. The site produces powerful berries that tell a relentless tale of their place. At $80, it fits right in with its neighbors, but at $49, the wine plays in a different league. 
 
Howell Mountain is cooler than the Valley floor, and in turn, allows the grapes more hang-time, resulting in concentrated fruit. Cooler temperatures align with porous soils and contribute to the intensely powerful fruit produced there. 
 
Martin Ray’s winemaking team includes lead winemaker Leslie Renaud, former winemaker for Foley Estate, and consulting winemaker Keith Emerson of Vineyard 29. The 2018 Howell Mountain Cabernet is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and a powerful reflection of the region and terroir.
 
MARTIN RAY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $80
 
Your Price: $49
 
 
“This is chock ’o block with flavors of dark currant paste and blackberry preserves mixed with tar, licorice snap and alder notes. There’s a nice smoldering feel through the finish as the fruit and earth notes meld. Best from 2023 through 2035”
93 Points
 
“Lots of ripe berries and plums with flowers, chocolate and some sandalwood on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a pretty, fruit and berry character at the finish. Drink or hold.”
92 Points

“Fresh, wild blue and black fruit with ripe Bing cherry, and subtle elderflower. Deep, rustic touches of olive tapenade, with layers of boysenberry and wet earth, with supple, velvety tannins and touches of clove and graphite on the finish.”

2016 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

RUDIUS

SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

The smallest plots of land can have the greatest potential to produce the most vivid interpretations of their terroirs. The home vineyard of legendary winemaker Jeff Ames is Savory Estate, which sits at 1780 feet on Howell Mountain. The tiny 1.3-acre vineyard produces potent fruit and wines with tremendous structure, depth, and age-ability. With a 98 point score on the 2016 vintage, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours.
 
Icons David Abreu and Rick Forman planted Savory Estate, and they chose Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon, used in numerous cult wines. The soils are a mixture of clay and gravely loam, and when matched with the extreme elevation, produce intensely concentrated fruit. 
 
Jeff Ames mentored under Thomas River Brown at Schrader, Maybach, Outpost, and TOR before becoming head winemaker at TOR in 2005. His wines are some of the deepest, most hedonistic, and balanced that I’ve found anywhere near this price level, and with these incredibly high scores, this one could disappear fast. 
 
RUDIUS
SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $135
 
 
 
“The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Savory Estate comes all from a great, higher elevation vineyard on Howell Mountain and checks in as 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. It spent 27 months in French oak prior to bottling, and there are a scant 125 cases made. This sensational effort boasts a dense, inky color as well as a kaleidoscope-like array of blueberries, blackcurrant liqueur, bay leaf, iron, and an almost bloody, meaty character that’s hard to describe. The palate doesn’t lose a beat and is full-bodied, deep, concentrated, and structured, yet also ethereal and elegant. This is mountain Cabernet at its finest! It has some upfront appeal already, yet my money is on it benefiting from 4-5 years of bottle age and cruising for 25-30 years. Hello, beautiful!”
98 Points
 
“The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Savory Estate, from Jeff Ames’s home property on Howell Mountain, is superb. A great example of the Howell Mountain appellation, the 2016 possesses tremendous depth and tons of savory aromatic presence. There is so much to like and admire in this potent, virile Cabernet Sauvignon. All the elements are wonderfully fused together with appealing notes of chocolate, leather and dried flowers that develop in the glass. The 2016 is explosive, vivid and simply stunning in its beauty. That’s all there is to it.”
96 Points