Started in 1983 by two prominent Howell Mountain vineyard owners, Howell Mountain Vineyards and its wines have been an integral part of the emergence and development of this AVA in the wine industry. Today, led by Mike Beatty, grower of the famed Beatty Ranch, Howell Mountain Vineyards continues to focus on quality in the vineyards while embracing bio-harmonic principles.

In 2016, Howell Mountain experienced an even and balanced growing season. The near perfect growing conditions created some of the best fruit we have ever seen in this region. Full clusters with medium sized berries produced grapes with focused fruit and integrated tannins commonly present in Howell Mountain fruit. With the steady heat in the late summer, the fruit was able to easily reach maturity and was harvested in late-October.

Hauntingly dark in the glass at first sight, our 2016 Howell Mountain Petit Verdot exhibits the classic characteristics of this highly tannic, black fruit grape. The light crop and smaller than normal berries produced a dense, chewy, full structured wine with rm tannins. On the palate, the hints of blackberry, blueberry and earthy, cigar box and leather notes fought its way through the tannins. This wine continues its dark fruit decent into the palate and finishes with a long mouth-drying finish with rm tannins and gripping acid, begging for this wine to be cellared up to 10-12 years.