La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc 2018

  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 94 James
    Suckling
2019 Vintage In Stock
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La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc 2018  Front Bottle Shot
La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc 2018  Front Bottle Shot La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc 2018  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2018

Size
750ML

ABV
14.5%

Features
Boutique

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Sourced from some of the oldest Cabernet Franc vines in the Napa Valley, this wine proudly pays homage to the history of this incredible site. Star anise, pain de grille and raspberry jam are delicately interlaced on the nose. The tannins are pronounced but integrated and the balanced acidity drives a long dense finish.

Professional Ratings

  • 96
    Made from 100% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain was aged for 22 months in oak, 65% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with a lifted, perfumed nose of red roses, kirsch, red plums and red currant jelly, followed by hints of mulberries, pencil shavings and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with taut, muscular red fruit, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with loads of earthy sparks. Rating: 96+
  • 94
    The 2018 Cabernet Franc is all varietal and offers a rich, medium to full-bodied style with plenty of dark, chocolately fruit as well as notes of tobacco, leafy herbs, and graphite. It has some upfront appeal, with beautiful fruit, but there are ample mountain tannins, and it’s going to benefit from a solid 2-4 years of bottle age. Rating: 94+
  • 94
    Tight and structured red with blackberry, fresh-herb and violet aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Needs time to soften. Better after 2023.

Other Vintages

2019
  • 95 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
2017
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
2016
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 94 James
    Suckling
2015
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 James
    Suckling
2014
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
2013
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2012
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
2009
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
La Jota

La Jota Vineyards Co.

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La Jota Vineyards Co., California
La Jota Vineyards Co. Winery Video

The wines of La Jota have deep roots in Napa Valley. Back in 1888, winemaking pioneer W.S. Keyes planted some of the first vines on Howell Mountain, and 10 years later his contemporary, Fredrick Hess, built a stone winery and established La Jota Vineyard Co., named for its location on the Mexican parcel Rancho La Jota. Both men won medals for their Howell Mountain wines in the Paris Exposition of 1900.

 Today, La Jota Vineyard Co. proudly carries on this great legacy with its small-production mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay. All La Jota wines are sourced from the winery’s estate and from nearby W.S. Keyes Vineyard, and they capture the intense fruit and mineral complexity of these cool-climate origins.

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Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.

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Howell Mountain Wine

Napa Valley, California

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Today Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of this part of Napa’s rugged, eastern hills, but Zinfandel was responsible for giving the Howell Mountain growing area its original fame in the late 1800s.

Winemaking in Howell Mountain was abandoned during Prohibition, and wasn’t reawakened until the arrival of Randy Dunn, a talented winemaker famous for the success of Caymus in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early eighties, he set his sights on the Napa hills and subsequently astonished the wine world with a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Shortly thereafter Howell Mountain became officially recognized as the first sub-region of Napa Valley (1983).

With vineyards at 1,400 to 2,000 feet in elevation, they predominantly sit above the fog line but the days in Howell Mountain remain cooler than those in the heart of the valley, giving the grapes a bit more time on the vine.

The Howell Mountain AVA includes 1,000 acres of vineyards interspersed by forestlands in the Vaca Mountains. The soils, shallow and infertile with good drainage, are volcanic ash and red clay and produce highly concentrated berries with thick skins. The resulting wines are full of structure and potential to age.

Today Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah thrive in this sub-appellation, as well as its founding variety, Zinfandel.

RGL4201880SX_2018 Item# 786527

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