Winery - La Jota Vineyard
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Classic Napa mountain Cab, intensely concentrated in fruit, richly tannic, and dry, and of course, such a wine needs and deserves the new oak they lavished on it. Flavors and structure perfectly balance, with massive cherry pie, cassis and mocha flavors meshing with sweetly ripe tannins and rich barrel notes of vanilla and char. This is a dramatic, complex young Cab that will hold for six years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A strong Cabernet that’s so tightly wound in tannins, it’s hard to appreciate, despite plenty of fruit. There’s also a green olive earthiness to the sweet blackberries and cedar. Showing its immaturity now, so give it a good six years in the cellar.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A very nice, dry Cab Franc that shows real elegance and sophistication. The tannins are rather fierce, with a sandpapery astringency, and the wine shows a deep, pure core of red and black cherries. Delicious and complex, but those tannins need rich fare for balance. Lamb comes to mind.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Gorgeous aromas of blackberry tart, vanilla and oak lead to strong, rich fruity flavors of cherries and blackberries. So ripe, it finishes almost sweet. Rich in tannins, and compelling for its depth and harmony.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A big, vital, dramatic wine, one of the finest Cab Francs of the vintage. Dazzles with blackberry, black cherry, mocha and spice flavors, wrapped into thick but finely ground tannins, and enriched with smoky oak. Beautiful now and for the next 4–5 years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dark as midnight in a moonless sky, dry as dust, hard and astringent in tannins. That’s the challenge this immature Cabernet presents, which makes it difficult to appreciate now. However, it has deep, fine blackberry and cherry fruit flavors, and should have a good future. The score reflects the possibilities after 5–7 years of aging.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is just coming into its own. It’s still pretty tight and astringent in tannins, but has a major league core of cherry and blackberry fruit, and feels elegant and complex. As balanced as it is, it should continue to develop for six to eight more years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
It’s the essence of cherries in this dry, intensely structured mountain wine. They blended it with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon to add tannic structure, but the cherry pie filling shines through, accented by two-thirds new French oak, which adds vanilla and sweet woody char. At nearly five years of age, the wine now has a soft, delicious dynamism that’s best now and for another year or two.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Classic Howell Mountain tannins, powerful and focused, but ripely sweet, frame opulent cherry, cassis, plum sauce and new oak flavors, and for all that, there’s a crisp edge of acidity that makes everything clean and bright. Drink now through 2012.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
I know of no Cab Franc that costs more than this, but this is a very good wine. Be forewarned, it’s high in alcohol and thick in tannins, so forget about drinking it now. Deep down inside is a teasing core of ripe, sweetly decadent cherry fruit that’s yearning to be free. Hold until 2010.
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