Howell Mountain

James Laube
Posted: March 8, 2000

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Howell Mountain

Total Acres Planted: 600

Total Bordeaux Varieties: 396 acres

REFERENCE CABERNETS:Beringer Bancroft, Cornerstone Beatty Ranch, Dunn, La Jota, Lokoya and Liparita

REGIONAL CHARACTER: All of the reds -- Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel -- are marked by distinctive earthy tannins. Randy and Lori Dunn created the signature Cabernet style, massive but elegant, and it remains the benchmark for quality and age worthiness.

The Dunns bottled their first Cabernet from the 1979 vintage, and theirs has been an amazingly consistent style of wine from the start, regardless of the vintage. The appellation rises to about 2,200 feet, exposures are widely varied, and generally, this appellation is known for its grapes ripening very late in the season. Wineries such as Forman and Viader are at the base of the mountain, but below the appellation line. Colgin's Herb Lamb Vineyard is also hidden in a narrow fold behind a hill.