2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
(14.8% alcohol): Good bright, full ruby. Medicinal kirsch , cassis, violet and tropical dark chocolate on the nose. Supple, sweet and alive, offering intense dark berry and black cherry flavors given definition and life by pronounced but essentially well-integrated acidity. Nicely balanced and not excessively ripe or thick. Quite powerful on the back end, finishing with a suggestion of warmth but excellent juicy, rising length. A very good showing but this is still a young wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain displays a classic Howell Mountain personality of graphite, plums, black currants, forest floor as well as good minerality. A beautiful texture, full-bodied mouthfeel, terrific purity and a long finish make for a sensational, showy, flamboyant Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. Betty O’Shaughnessy is one of my favorite producers. While the quantities of her wines are relatively small, the quality has been brilliant over the last decade. Tel. (707) 965-2898; Fax (707) 965-3010
Bright ruby-red. Attractively ripe aromas of blackberry, minerals, leather, meat, menthol and nutty, chocolatey oak. Juicy and penetrating, with a spicy white pepper lift to the strong core of blackberry fruit. Firm, ripe acids contribute to the impression of spine. Finishes long and aromatic, with tannins buffered by fruit. Cabernet sauvignon can struggle to ripen on Howell Mountain in cooler years, but 2004 appears to be an outstanding vintage for this variety.