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Rare & exclusive vertical of a California classic

The Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Dunn Vineyards is a stone cold classic; not just of California but of world class Cabernet.

Since the earliest days, the family’s commitment to quality has been utterly uncompromising.  In the face of fashions for bigger, riper, sweeter wines, Randy Dunn has continued to hand-craft savoury and structured Cabernets that recall the best of California’s bygone era in the 1960s and ’70s.  If you are after bombastic fruit bombs, Dunn is probably not for you…

The quietly fierce nature of Dunn’s wines has never been for all comers. But Dunn has always prided himself on being different.
– Jon Bonné / Randy Dunn’s Cabernet Crusade

In the aftermath of Napa’s devastating wildfires of 2020, Dunn Vineyards have produced no wine.  Faced with the loss of an entire harvest the family have chosen to release a small quantity of library vintages from their cellars. Tiny volumes of 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been made available to the winery’s exclusive agents around the world.

This library release is intended solely for top restaurants, and not to be widely offered, but we persuaded the winery to allow us a limited allocation for collectors in Singapore.  Adding 2017 and 2018 from our own cellars, we have created these unique 5-vintage verticals to showcase this classic Cabernet across several years.

A unique expression of the hillside vineyards of Howell Mountain, this is a reserved and age-worthy Cabernet demonstrating a cooler and more mineral character that is unapologetically old school Napa.  Our vertical includes outstanding vintages back to the epic 2013: “without question one of the wines of the great 2013 vintage.  98+/100” – Antonio Galloni / Vinous.

Of the younger vintages the 2017 is the most approachable – and has shown brilliantly at recent dinners in Singapore.  Like the equally impressive, although less-ready, 2018 it has an impressive 97/100 from Galloni.

These vertical assortments are a true one-off that we are excited to offer as Dunn’s exclusive importer in Singapore.  Please let us know if you would like to experience this special selection from one of the greats of traditional Napa Cab.

With best wishes,
Matthew Hemming MW

 
The Offer:
Offered subject to remaining unsold. Available from our Singapore cellars now.
Dunn Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical Collection
One bottle each of 2013/14/15/17/18
SGD $1,200 ($1,308 inc GST) per 5 bottle vertical collection
12 collections available

2013 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a towering majestic wine. Rich, powerful and yet massively tannic, the 2013 possesses a stunning combination of super-ripe fruit, bright acids and plenty of supporting structure. In the early going, the Howell Mountain is a bit reticent, especially next to the Trailer, but after several hours, the vibrancy of the Howell Mountain bottling dazzles. Dunn’s Howell Mountain Cabernet is without question one of the wines of the great 2013 vintage.
98+/100 – Antonio Galloni / Vinous

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a little closed at this stage, offering glimpses at fresh blackcurrants, blackberry pie and crushed black plums with nuances of cedar chest, underbrush, black truffles, charcuterie and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, it packs in the muscular fruit, with very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with many expressive earth layers.
96/100 – Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW / The Wine Advocate

2014 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Inky blue/purplish fruit, graphite, lavender, grilled herbs and smoke run through the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain). The 2014 has all the Dunn signatures in its flavor profile, but in the mid-weight style of the year. This is an especially restrained, young wine for Dunn with far less of the tannic heft that readers familiar with these wines are likely to expect.
93/100 – Antonio Galloni

Starting to show its true nature, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is nearing drinkability. Mint and thyme join cassis and cherry on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is beautifully streamlined and silky, sculpted into a long, gently tannic finish. Randy Dunn has never been shy about the occasional need to reduce alcohol levels in Napa Cabernets and removed a full 1% alcohol from this wine, yet it still sings and looks to have a long life ahead of it.
96+/100 – Joe Czerwinski / The WIne Advocate

2015 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain) offers a striking balance of intense richness from the low yields on the mountain and the intensely mineral/savory qualities that are such signatures of the Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet. Graphite, smoke, grilled herbs, crème de cassis, menthol and iron build into the huge finish. The tannins are there, but they are buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit.
95+/100 – Antonio Galloni

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain looks sensational, as most of the better efforts do in this vintage of relatively low yields. Huge sucrosity, a big, fat, juicy mouthfeel, a dense black/purple color and plenty of crème de cassis, blackberry, camphor and licorice are all present in this layered, rather highly extracted and rich wine. It should drink well for 30-40 years.
93-95pts – Robert Parker / The Wine Advocate

2017 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is sure to make Dunn fans happy. Powerful and ample, it marries the natural intensity of the year with the savoriness that makes Howell Mountain Cabernets so distinctive. Dark blue/purplish fruit, graphite, spice, leather, dried herbs and lavender imbue the 2017 with striking intensity and character. I can’t wait to see how it ages. The 2017 is a positively stunning edition of the Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
97/100 – Antonio Galloni

Already more open than the 2018 Howell Mountain, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain boasts slightly piney, resinous herb notes—thyme and rosemary—along with classic cassis and blueberry fruit. Yes, there’s a cedary coat of oak, but the fruit comes through loud and clear, adding a rich, velvety textural component and mouthwatering berry flavors on the lingering finish.
96+/100 – Joe Czerwinski

2018 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is elegant, deep and classy. Inky dark purplish fruit, savory herbs, menthol, licorice and spice. The purity of the fruit is remarkable today. There is plenty of youthful Howell Mountain tannin, so readers will have to be patient. Bright floral accents lift the red/purplish berry fruit nicely. This is such an expressive, alluring Cabernet.
97/100 – Antonio Galloni

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a typically long-term proposition, coated in dusty tannins and cedary oak. It will take time for the cassis, blueberry and slightly pine-scented backbone of this wine to emerge, as for the moment it’s almost difficult to taste. Yes, the concentration is present, the tannins are almost silky-ripe, but the structure of this medium to full-bodied wine is unassailable. Hands off for at least five years, and probably more, to judge by how past vintages have evolved.
95+/100 – Joe Czerwinski

 
Terms & Conditions
Offer ends on Monday 12th August 2024 l No further discount l Immediate payment required l Delivery fees ($32.72) waived for purchases above $500 before GST excluding airports | Cancellation of orders not allowed l Orders to be collected/delivered within 3 months upon stock availability l Offered Ex-Singapore & subject to remaining unsold​

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