Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Wine Spectator's # 6 Wine of the Year 2023 - Dunn Vineyards is a family operation dedicated to producing top notch California Cabernet Sauvignon. Located east of St. Helena in the town of Angwin on Howell Mountain, Dunn was established in 1979 by Randy and Lori Dunn who purchased the original vineyard property the year before. The property size would increase over time, but the first purchase was a total of 14 acres. In 1981, the first release offered consumers 660 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Howell Mountain vineyards. In 1982, Dunn released a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Currently Dunn Vineyards produces under 5000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. Both father and son, Randy and Michael are UC Davis graduates and share in the winemaking duties. Mom Lori is not only owner and founder, but the family backbone. And the youngest, daughter Kristina, is a recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS in Wine & Viticulture, and hopes to continue in her father and brother's footsteps. 

Dunn Vineyards produces two labels, Howell Mountain and Napa Valley. Both wines are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with about 2500 cases of Howell Mountain and 1500 cases of Napa Valley. The Howell Mountain wines consist of 100% Howell Mountain fruit. The Napa Valley wines consist of Napa Valley floor fruit, Coombsville fruit and Howell Mountain fruit. This combination of fruit contributes to the wine's softer approach, even though the wines usually can be laid down for 15+ years. 

"The Vaca and Mayacamas mountains that line the sides of Napa Valley produce some of the region’s most distinctive bottlings. Case in point is Dunn Vineyards. Randy Dunn, who started making wine in 1975 at Caymus, pitched his own tent atop Howell Mountain in 1979, which at the time was Napa’s viticultural Siberia. Time has proven him more than prescient. Randy’s son Mike, who joined in 1999, handles the winemaking. Randy still calls the pick date in the vineyards on the Howell Mountain estate, which totals 40 contiguous acres. The Dunn Cabernet remains one of Napa Valley’s longest-lived wines for the cellar. After a 32-month élevage, the wine is densely fruited with grippy tannins, but polished and pure at the same time." Wine Spectator