The 2002 is a seductive Cabernet Sauvignon with vibrant acidity. A primary style of red wine entering its adolescence. Highly aromatic nose and flavours of crème de cassis, juicy blackberry, lavender, violets and cherry-boiled sweets. Sweet vanilla, roasted espresso coffee beans, milk chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and caramelized sugar indicate the generous French oak regim which some felt needs a few years to fully integrate. Some earth characteristics of dusty cellar and dark damp smoky peat. Some creamy bacon fat “lardo” savory characters filled-out the palate. A beautifully balanced wine, which boasts fleshiness and lots of structural support to hold it all in. Plentiful fine-grained tannins. This is a complex wine that is virtually infinite – many assessors could still appreciate this wine for several minutes after tasting. A wine that will offer many years of pleasure to those who are patient. Cellar to enjoy from 2015-2025++. Additional comments: Highly polished example of Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. Extremely youthful, long life ahead. One to watch in its development over the next 10 years. Reviews: "Intense and fleshy, with a complex range of red cherry, currant and berry fruit that has a supple entry before the firm and chewy tannins close in. Hints of espresso bean and nutmeg highlight the presence of wood at this stage, and it certainly showcases Howell Mountain's austere tannins. Best from 2007 through 2012. 4,600 cases made. –JL" -Rated 87, Wine Spectator "The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain exhibits an inky/blue/purple color along with a sweet perfume of pure blackberries, meat, new saddle leather, and flowers. From an unusually ripe harvest, this sweet, rich, fleshy offering displays more accessibility than many Howell Mountain vintages. Randy Dunn said it was important to drop crop, and he eliminated 40% of the fruit from the vines in both 2002 and 2001. The long, concentrated 2002 may not be the biggest Howell Mountain cuvee, but it will provide lovely drinking between 2009-2024." -Rated 91, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate " Bright, saturated ruby-red. Vibrant nose offers cassis, minerals, gunpowder and spices. Densely packed but nicely delineated, with primary, fruit-driven flavors of blackcurrant and spices. Very juicy and suave but still quite youthfully unevolved. Finishes with firm but smooth tannins. This calls for considerably more patience than the Napa Valley bottling, but even today there's a pleasing pliancy of texture. This held up extremely well in the recorked bottle." -Rated 93, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar "From its very deep, currant-and-sweet-spice aromas to its keenly defined and concentrated varietal flavors, this compelling young effort is wonderfully rich without being flamboyant or flashy or beholden to runaway ripeness and oak. It is uncommonly well tailored for the big wine that it is, and it shows fine fruity length even while finishing with considerable tannins. It is far from its best and, given the capability for lengthy aging shown by Dunn Cabernets over the years, we feel safe in setting this one aside for a decade or more." -Rated 92, Connoisseur's Guide to California Wines |
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