Images Courtesy of Suzanne Becker Bronk
The Howell Mountain AVA was the first mountainous nested appellation to be established, with the southern boundary of the AVA beginning at 1400 feet above sea level.
"Overlooking the town of Saint Helena, CA, Howell Mountain AVA is a sub-appellation of the Napa Valley AVA and is located in the northeast side of Napa Valley near the town of Angwin. Howell Mountain AVA was established as an American Viticultural Area in 1983 and was the first sub-appellation within the greater Napa Valley AVA.
owell Mountain was the first mountainous nested appellation to be drawn and declared. It is also unique in that, unlike the other mountains which run down to connect with the valley floor appellations, the AVA’s southern boundary is 1,400 feet (427m) above sea level. This boundary was selected by the AVA’s founders because that was the elevation at which the fog crested. The thinking was that vines grown above this elevation would be dramatically dis- tinct from those grown beneath.
The area in which the modern appellation of Howell Mountain is located was originally called "Sierras de Suscol" or "Suscol Hills", by the Spanish. Then in 1841 became part of the Rancho Carne Humana land grant, which was given to Dr. Edward Turner Bale by General Mariano Vallejo as payment for his services as "Surgeon-in-Chief of the Mexican Army." When Dr. Bale died in 1849, his family started to sell off portions of the vast land grant.
Howell Mountain and the Howell Mountain AVA are named after the Isacc Howell family, early settlers who moved to the area in 1846. In 1877, two of the area's first winemakers, Jean Adolph Brun and Jean V. Chaix planted 20 acres of grapevines from seven varieties which were sourced from Medoc in Bordeaux. They were among the first to operate successful vineyards in the area during the wine boom of the 1880's. They founded Nouveau Medoc Cellar and later Howell Mountain Winery in 1886, which was one of the most expensive construction projects in Napa at the time. Other early Howell Mountain winemakers included Charles Krug, J. Thomas and George McMee.
Howell Mountain first made history as a recognized wine producing region in 1889 when winemakers Brun and Chaix won a bronze medal at the Paris World Competition. However, with the outbreak of Phylloxera in the 1890's and Prohibition in the 1920's, winemaking in the area came to a standstill. All the wineries in the region closed and vineyards were either abandoned or replanted with different crops. It was not until the 1960's when interest in winemaking returned to Howell Mountain. The region was officially designated an American Viticultural Area in 1983 and was the first sub-appellation of the larger Napa Valley AVA. It is also the first mountainous nested appellation to be established, with the southern boundary of the AVA beginning at 1400 feet above sea level.
"The terrain of Howell Mountain is often steep hillsides with vineyards nestled between forests of pine, fir and oak trees. When the valley floor is covered in a blanket of fog, Howell Mountain is above the fogline, taking in the sunshine. The resulting wines, specifically Cabernet Sauvignon, are intensely structured, filled with great red fruit flavors and can age beautifully in a bottle for 20+ years."
- Danielle Cyrot, Cade Estate Winery
The 2016 Jack's Vineyard is a great single vineyard expression of Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Oddly we got even less fruit in 2016 than the very low 2015, only two barrels. The fruit that we did get was so concentrated that the wine is very rich and unctuous!
Stout Vineyard is located in the Howell Mountain appellation, one of the Napa Valley’s most soughtafter, ultra-premium winegrowing regions. As a result of its topography, soils and climate, Howell Mountain has distinctly different grape-growing conditions than the valley floor. This 35-acre vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Grenache and Syrah. The Stout Vineyard also has 300 mature olive trees that were planted at the turn of the 19th century.
The 2015 Howell Mountain is enchanting and captivating from the start. Dark cassis flavors are infused with notes of pine cone and forest sous bois. Roasted chestnuts and steak au jus aromas unwind in the glass and subtle accents of dried red current, Spanish paprika, cumin, crushed rose petal, clove, and mint intertwine amongst the fragrance. The piquant mountain tannins round and fatten along the finish and build support and structure this young vibrant Cabernet. -Christopher Tynan, Winemaker
This vibrant Howell Mountain Chardonnay exemplifies the terroir of Howell Mountain's Keyes vineyard. It expresses lemon-lime and mandarin notes, plus green apple, ripe pear and white peach. The barrel fermentation and sur lie aging has added viscosity and depth.
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