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Hindsight 2016 Bella Vetta Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Hindsight 2016 Bella Vetta Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Unreal...
Howell Bargain!
dryness
acidity
tannin
body
fruit
Unreal...
Howell Bargain!

Mission Codename In retrospect

Half-priced Beringer & Dunn-neighbor Howell Cab returns, we got just a little more, may not last the day!

$100 from the winery. Maybe $75 if you’re super lucky at a local market, and… can that be? Why yes, it is. $49 from us.

Hindsight is a boutique producer, and this comes from their estate vineyard perched at 2,000 feet up on Howell Mountain neighboring Beringer’s Steinhauer Ranch, just around the corner from Dunn Vineyards. Currently Michael Weis makes the wines, and he got started at Mondavi before a lengthy 26-year tenure at Groth. The 2016s were made by his equally venerable, now retired predecessor Jac Cole, with a resume spanning Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Charles Krug, and Spring Mountain Winery.

This is ripe, full-bodied, and creamy - in other words exactly what your soul craves. Super integrated and polished front to back. Gently extracted but not overtly done with dark blue, black, and red fruit, plums, blueberry, vanilla, cassis, and a hint of sweet black licorice unraveling in layer upon layer. Smooth tannins moonwalk across your palate with velvety softness. Just prime stuff, really. It’s the grip on the finish that speaks of the Howell factor here, long, complex, and simply peerless.

Zero press. And that’s a good thing, otherwise, this would have been long gone. If you’re the type who reads between the lines, this Antonio Galloni’s Vinous recap says it all: “Napa Valley enjoyed an extraordinary vintage in 2016. The bottled 2016s are every bit as viscerally thrilling as they were from barrel. Best of all, 2016 is a captivating vintage from top to bottom, with a bevy of stunning wines for every palate and budget, as well as a number of bottles that are destined to become icons.”

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate echoes “as a wine critic it is only natural that, when preparing a vintage report, I am constantly looking for something to criticize… I’ve now tasted more than 2,000 (and counting) 2016 Napa Valley wines in bottle over the past couple of months and can only report - sorry - this is a particularly tough vintage to criticize.”

We’ll spare you the “in hindsight you should’ve bought more” stuff …and just say this: if you dig Howell Mountain Cab (who doesn’t?) you need this in your life.

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Tasting Profile Plums, blueberry, vanilla, cassis, sweet black licorice

dryness
acidity
tannin
body
fruit
Look

Deep, dark ruby in rare parts where light barely penetrates

Smell

Plums, blueberry, vanilla, cassis, a hint of sweet black licorice

Taste

Ripe, full-bodied, creamy with dark blue, black, and red fruit

Finish

The grip speaks of Howell, long, complex, and simply peerless

Pairing

Bone-in low and slow roasts, wild mushrooms, aged cheeses

What the Winery Says 2016 Bella Vetta Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Hindsight
Hindsight
Winemaker
Jac Cole
Varietal
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage
2016
Alcohol
14.7%
Appellation
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Vineyard
Bella Vetta Vineyard
Elevation
~2,000 feet above sea level
Size
1.9 acres
Vine age
15+ years old
Total acidity
7.02 g/L
pH
3.52
Aging
24 months
Barrels
50% new French oak

About the Winery Hindsight

Hindsight Winemaker Jac Cole
Hindsight Winemaker Jac Cole
Hindsight 2016 Bella Vetta Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Apr 28, 2022 at 11:59 pm
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Hindsight 2016 Bella Vetta Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Apr 28, 2022 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
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