Ink Grade Estate
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA
I convinced a friend to attend a pop and pour tasting for Heitz Cellar last night. The lineup included:
* 2017 Lot C-91 - Previously made once in 1961.
* 2016 Trailside Vineyard -
* 2016 Martha’s Vineyard -
* 2017 Howell Mountain Ink Grade
I love producers that have not strayed from what I call that “classic Napa style,” and I also love mountain fruit. The Heitz Trailside and Martha’s were both really nice (Martha gets an extra star from me), Ink Grade was next level.
Ink Grade is hugely massive, complex, powerful, and fresh, all at the same time. This wine easily falls in my top 3 favorite discoveries in 2022.
Details: 100% Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest Date September 6, 2017. 100% French Oak. Bottled on March 8, 2021. ABV 14%.
This wine deserves a fabulous pairing. Our loss that the Jimmy Hendrix/Miles Davis collaboration never happened, but if it had I would be listening to them with this bottle.
I convinced a friend to attend a pop and pour tasting for Heitz Cellar last night. The lineup included:
* 2017 Lot C-91 - Previously made once in 1961.
* 2016 Trailside Vineyard -
* 2016 Martha’s Vineyard -
* 2017 Howell Mountain Ink Grade
I love producers that have not strayed from what I call that “classic Napa style,” and I also love mountain fruit. The Heitz Trailside and Martha’s were both really nice (Martha gets an extra star from me), Ink Grade was next level.
Ink Grade is hugely massive, complex, powerful, and fresh, all at the same time. This wine easily falls in my top 3 favorite discoveries in 2022.
Details: 100% Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest Date September 6, 2017. 100% French Oak. Bottled on March 8, 2021. ABV 14%.
This wine deserves a fabulous pairing. Our loss that the Jimmy Hendrix/Miles Davis collaboration never happened, but if it had I would be listening to them with this bottle.