Napa/Howell cab tasting suggestions cordially requested . . .
 

I'm visiting Napa next week and would like to taste Howell cabs, etc.,
the bigger/bolder/earthier the better. Thinking of Spring Mountain,
St. Clement, Pride, White Cottage Ranch. Any alternative tasting room
suggetions? (Please excuse my naive terminology, thanks.)

Napa/Howell cab tasting suggestions cordially requested . . .
 

Thomas Williams wrote:
> I'm visiting Napa next week and would like to taste Howell cabs, etc.,
> the bigger/bolder/earthier the better. Thinking of Spring Mountain,
> St. Clement, Pride, White Cottage Ranch. Any alternative tasting room
> suggetions? (Please excuse my naive terminology, thanks.)

With the proviso that I don't buy or drink much Napa Cab any more
(though I bought quite a lot from '77-'94) I can give you my
recommendations from my years of visiting and tasting in the valley.
For Howell Mtn Cabernets specifically, I'd look to La Jota (not the
biggest wines around), Robert Foley (former Pride winemaker) and Dunn
(flagship Howell Mtn winery). Dunn never used to welcome visitors, but
perhaps that has changed in recent years. Outside of Howell Mountain,
other sources for big-boned Cabernets are Chateau Montelena in Calistoga
and Robert Phelps in St. Helena.

Have fun, and feel free to ask more questions should you have them!

Mark Lipton

Napa/Howell cab tasting suggestions cordially requested . . .
 

On Aug 17, 7:44*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Thomas Williams wrote:
> > I'm visiting Napa next week and would like to taste Howell cabs, etc.,
> > the bigger/bolder/earthier the better. Thinking of Spring Mountain,
> > St. Clement, Pride, White Cottage Ranch. Any alternative tasting room
> > suggetions? (Please excuse my naive terminology, thanks.)
>
> With the proviso that I don't buy or drink much Napa Cab any more
> (though I bought quite a lot from '77-'94) I can give you my
> recommendations from my years of visiting and tasting in the valley.
> For Howell Mtn Cabernets specifically, I'd look to La Jota (not the
> biggest wines around), Robert Foley (former Pride winemaker) and Dunn
> (flagship Howell Mtn winery). Dunn never used to welcome visitors, but
> perhaps that has changed in recent years. *Outside of Howell Mountain,
> other sources for big-boned Cabernets are Chateau Montelena in Calistoga
> and Robert Phelps in St. Helena.
>
> Have fun, and feel free to ask more questions should you have them!
>
> Mark Lipton

Dunn still doesn't welcome visitors and I'm not sure one could taste
their wines in the first 5 years after bottling without stripping your
mucous membranes. Foley and La Jota however are good recommendations
for Howell Mountain.

Napa/Howell cab tasting suggestions cordially requested . . .
 

On Aug 17, 5:05*pm, Thomas Williams > wrote:
> I'm visiting Napa next week and would like to taste Howell cabs, etc.,
> the bigger/bolder/earthier the better.

Many huge CS and other wines were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s,
although many of the largest monsters came from locations other than
Napa. Near the top of the monster list, one might include David Bruce
CS such as his 1974, Martin Ray CS 1968, and Monterey Peninsula Winery
CS 1976. Many wineries that once made monster wines and are still
around now make wine in a much more restrained style. As others have
pointed out, Dunn likely is the best more recent example of a monster
wine in or near Napa. However it needs many years of age to mature
enough for most tastes, and older bottles are quite expensive and
often are found only at auctions and a few upscale wine stores.

Napa/Howell cab tasting suggestions cordially requested . . .
 

On Aug 17, 6:05*pm, Thomas Williams > wrote:
> I'm visiting Napa next week and would like to taste Howell cabs, etc.,
> the bigger/bolder/earthier the better. Thinking of Spring Mountain,
> St. Clement, Pride, White Cottage Ranch. Any alternative tasting room
> suggetions? (Please excuse my naive terminology, thanks.)

There's a lot of ground to cover there depending on how long you will
be there. LaJota is in that category but I'm not sure what their
tasting situation is these days as there wasn't acutually a facility
at the vineyard. Pride is a nice tasting room but it's a long way up
there. Be advised that most tasting rooms these days charge a tasting
fee of aroung $10-$20 which they will credit towards any purchases.