Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
- jd95
- v94
Category | Red Wine |
Varietals | |
Region | California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain |
Brand | Robert Craig |
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
Jeb Dunnuck
- jd95
Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is another pure, elegant, classic wine from this estate. Blueberries, tobacco leaf, forest floor and underbrush notes all emerge from this medium to full-bodied beauty that has ripe tannin, notable freshness, and again, awesome purity of fruit. Rated 93-95
Vinous
- v94
Tightly wound and packed, the 2016 is full of energy. Raspberry jam, iron, dried flowers red flowers, mint and white pepper all help give the 2016 a decidedly high-toned profile, but it is the wine's energy and sense of drive that stand out most.
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