I consider myself very fortunate to have tasted dozens of vintages of Dunn's iconic Howell Mountain bottling over the years. I've had them young and old; bottles made by Randy Dunn, and bottles from more recent years as his son Mike took the reins. These powerful, distinctive, long-lived Cabernets never disappoint. I believe more than any other producer the flavors and characters captured at Dunn have become inseparable from Howell Mountain itself; they are truly the quintessential expression of this special place captured in wine. Back in August a few of us from K&L were lucky enough to spend a several hours at Dunn walking the vineyards, barrel tasting in the cellar, and running through numerous vintages of both the Napa and Howell Mountain Cabs. Out of all the wines we tasted that day, the 2019 Howell was truly exceptional. It felt and tasted like a Dunn Cab, and yet it was so open, expressive, and downright delicious even as a young wine! I remember some young editions of this wine that had your lips stuck to your teeth and your tongue coated in dense, thick tannins. My typical advice to people when they're buying Dunn Cabs is to forget about them for at least a decade...maybe two! But this 2019...wow, it's just stunning even upon release. Now, don't get me wrong, this is still most certainly a wine with 30+ years of ageing potential. However, the structure is beautifully refined, the fruit lush and polished, the balance of fruit and structure is immaculate, the oak integration totally seamless. The dark brooding core of volcanic minerality and briary mountain chapparal is still present, there's no doubt this is Howell Cab...it's just got another level of refinement and precision that is truly magical. I can't wait to follow how this wine evolves over the next few decades. Potentially one of the best ever bottlings of this legendary wine.

During a Napa visit where we visited some of the royalty of the region, Dunn's 2019 Howell Mountain stuck out as one of the most complete, delicious, and rewarding wines we tasted. The aromas bring forward a dusty and rocky minerality that leads to pure cassis/Cabernet aromas. The palate is explosive, with layered red fruits that show a great purity and juciness, but backed by plenty of structure. A long extract-lined finish shows impressive textrue and depth. That mid-palate depth of Howell Mountain speaks loudly here as well. This is a wine that's already showing a ton and will be a joy to drink anytime over the coming years. Fans of the estate won't want to miss this, and it still stands tall as one of the best collectible values in Napa. Brilliant.