Mission Codename Son of a ruler
Howell Mountain. Thomas Rivers Brown. The EPIC 2019 vintage.
Wait, it gets better. OUR PRICE!! We checked the interplanetary numbers and it’s the lowest around, in every dimension tracked on Wine-Searcher.
Now, here’s the interesting part.
This is a rather unique wine and a ONE-OFF production that won’t happen again. It comes from a source up on Howell Mountain and was made by the illustrious TRB himself. Our intel suggests the owners decided to re-plant the vineyard after the 2019 harvest and delay the launch of their new label until early 2024. The name of the new label is not Gentry, this was a name selected just for this one-time bottling. Just 280 cases were made, and while we can’t say much more, we do know everything TRB touches is gold. Not to mention pricey, and often trailing with massive scores. So at $60 this massively over-delivers.
It’s the kind of discovery we stumble upon as locals in the industry. It has all the mountain-bred power you crave, with beautiful balance. Humming with bing cherry, blackberry coulis, black currant, graphite, and a brilliant lavender/violet thing. Just pure full-bodied Cabernet bliss with notes of chocolate-laced black fruits on the finish, violets, bay leaf, and loads of cedary herbs to spare. A quintessential Howell Cab that’s drinking brilliantly today yet will cruise for a decade or more.
Our allocation was small, so we’re rolling this one out Deep Cover style to our most die-hard Cab-loving Ops. If you saw how quickly the Clos du Val went last week you already know time is ticking!
What the Winery Says
2019 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Thomas Rivers-Brown
- Varietals
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2019
- Alcohol
- 15.0%
- Appellation
- Howell Mountian, Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Undisclosed
- Elevation
- 1,800 - 2,200 feet
- Aging
- 20 months
- Barrels
- 100% French Oak (27% new)