1979 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
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Tasting notes
Good medium red. Wonderfully fresh aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, plum, leather and sandalwood are complicated by a honeyed quality. Not hugely fleshy or expansive but almost shockingly vibrant and juicy for a wine approaching 40 years of age. A wonderfully mellow midweight with terrific spicy intensity and cut. A harmonious spine of acidity and surprisingly suave tannins carry the wine's fruit through a long, lightly saline finish. This was the first vintage of Dunn Howell Mountain and it's a beauty. (13% alcohol)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Randy Dunn got off to an auspicious start with his 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, a wine that remains magnificent today. This is an especially fine bottle, and quite a bit more impressive than the bottle I had about a year ago. Sinewy and explosive in the glass, the 1979 hits the palate with a rush of tobacco, crushed flowers, lavender, graphite and smoke. The 1979 is a wine of contrasts; at times delicate, in other moments more powerful. Raw, wild and intense, the 1979 captures a magical and innocent era in the history of Napa Valley. Readers lucky enough to own the 1979 are in for a real treat. It is one of the most hauntingly beautiful Napa Valley Cabernets I have ever tasted.
The 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain here in its inaugural vintage, is utterly pristine. Bright red berries, flowers, spices, rose petals, leather and sweet tobacco all lift from the glass in a wine that impresses for its brightness and crystalline purity. Although I don't see much upside in keeping bottles further, the 1979 is showing no signs of reaching full maturity. I imagine the fruit will fade gracefully into the sunset over the next 10-15 years. What a great way to start the tasting. Note: There are two different labels for the 1979. Bottles sold within California were labeled Howell Mountain, while bottled shipped across state lines were labeled Napa Valley, as Howell Mountain was not recognized as an official appellation at the time. The wines are the same.
No tasting note.