O'Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Tasting
Panel -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain offers a slightly darker, earthier profile that carries beautiful black and blue fruits, charcoal, bouquet garni, and some obvious minerality as well as a whiff of espresso. It's rich, full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully done. Drink it over the coming two decades. Based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% each of Merlot and Malbec, and the rest a mix of varieties, it spent 21 months in 80% new French oak.
-
James Suckling
This has a very attractive, fresh array of ripe dark-berry and cherry aromas with notes of purple olives, stones and iodine. There are such fine tannins here with a very fluid, concentrated build of pure, fresh dark berries. Impressive. Drink or hold.
-
Tasting Panel
Exceptionally generous and rich, with velvety texture and concentration. Elegant and layered with fine balance and savory style; complex, sophisticated, and long.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 4% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% St. Macaire, 1% Cabernet Franc and 2% Carmenere. It was aged for 22 months in French oak, 22% new. Very deep purple-black colored, it rolls easily out of the glass with pronounced notions of creme de cassis, baked plums and blueberry compote with hints of vanilla pod, dark chocolate, camphor and charcuterie plus a waft of cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of rugged tannins and bold acidity supporting the intense savory/earthy flavors, finishing with good length and expression, if just a little firm and rustic. Rating: 90+
Other Vintages
2019-
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
-
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
- Vinous
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
Connoisseurs'
Guide
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery sits at 1,800 feet on the heralded Howell Mountain appellation in the beautiful Napa Valley. Founded in 1996, the estate encompasses one hundred and twenty acres. Winemaker Sean Capiaux has overseen the planting of the vineyard and selected numerous clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and all seven of the historic Bordeaux varietals for this unique property.
O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery uses modern equipment to produce non-interventionist wines that are naturally fermented and bottled unfined and unfiltered. These techniques allow the varietal character and terroir of O’Shaughnessy Estate vineyards to be the stars of the show.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.