Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Founder Robert (Bob) Craig began his long and storied career in wine at The Hess Collection on Mount Veeder in the 1980s. Prior to starting his eponymous winery, Bob’s passion for Napa Valley Mountain Cabernet had him spearheading the official recognition of both the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain District AVAs.  In 1990, with the help of three friends he met at business school in Chicago 25 years earlier, Bob founded Robert Craig Winery and arranged to purchase fruit and custom crush his first commercial release of the 1992 vintage. The 1993 vintage release introduced three Cabernets that remain the core of the winery today: Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Affinity. Now, four decades later, Bob Craig remains one of the most important figures in Mountain Cabernet development and production in the history of the Napa Valley.

This 2016 Howell Mountain by Robert Craig is an outright superstar on our rack of high end Cabs, and a relative value. Here are some stats :

BLEND: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot

HARVEST DATES: September 16 - October 1, 2016

AVERAGE SUGAR: 24.9° Brix | TA: 6.6g/L | PH: 3.68

BARREL AGING: 18 mo. Chateau-style French oak; 80% new/20% 2nd yr. Unfiltered & unfined.

CASES PRODUCED: 1800