Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

This cuvée comes from Howell Mountain, a mountain appellation perched in the north-east of the Napa Valley, in California. The vines grow here at altitude, above the layer of fog that often covers the valley floor, on poor soils that limit yields and concentrate the grapes. This appellation is renowned for its powerful Cabernet Sauvignons built for ageing, and the estate has been sourcing its grapes here for more than thirty years.

The Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by 8% Merlot, is vinified before a long two-year ageing in oak barrels, partly new French oak, with the last six months in neutral barrels. A mountain wine with an assertive structure, it also benefits from bottle ageing one year longer than the estate's other wines before release.

This wine reveals notes of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, mocha, vanilla, caramel and cedar. Generous black fruit dominates the bouquet, wrapped in gourmand oak and roasted nuances. The palate is dense and deep, supported by firm yet rounded tannins and a long, spicy, persistent finish.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that boosted the California wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa region. At the start of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the California wine industry so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained producing wine. It was only from 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition and California was primarily known for the production of fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous estates were created (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc...). In 1976, a significant event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris". He sees the greatest French wines opposing the new American wines. This May 24, an unexpected result shakes the world of wine, since to everyone's surprise, it is the United States which wins. However, this competition remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Even though California largely monopolizes the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and the state of Washington offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon.