2014 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery, Napa

2014 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery, Napa

Critic score
95/100 info

This wine is now sold out. Please get in touch with your advisor or one of our team on [email protected] or 01473 313 300 for more information or guidance on an alternative.

Wine details

  • Region & country
    Howell Mountain, Napa County, California, USA
  • Grape
    79% Cabernet Sauvignon
    Bouillenc / Saint-Macaire
    Cabernet Franc
    Carménère
    Malbec/Auxerrois
    Merlot
    Petit Verdot
  • Maturity
    Ready 2018 - 2029info
  • Colour
    Red
  • Sweetness
    Dry
  • Style
    Still
  • Unit Volume
    Bottle (75cl.)
  • ABV
    15%

Tasting notes

The sensational 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (which is reasonably priced, given how superb it is) is her largest cuvée of just under 3,300 cases. It is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny quantities of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot, and a real head scratcher, St. Macaire. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of white flowers, licorice, forest floor and graphite, this wine exhibits classic mulberry, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit notes, some background, vague oak, a full-bodied, beautifully proportioned mouthfeel, and a layered finish. Like most 2014s, it can be drunk now, but it has at least two decades of cellaring potential.

Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (December 2016)
95/100

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is going to be a knock-out once it loses some baby fat and the new oak incorporates a bit more. Deep, powerful and vertical in feel, the 2014 possesses remarkable depth, intensity of color and balance. Inky, deep and creamy, with a real sense of gravitas, the 2014 is pure class through and through.

Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
95/100