Apologies if this has been covered, but did anyone receive an email from Erin for the 2018 vintage? I’ve sent multiple emails and no response. Seems very odd…
Haven’t heard anything
In July, 2018 should be coming:
First and foremost, thank you for your support of our family’s wines, especially during the past year. As you may have heard, our 2020 harvest was a complete loss due to smoke taint from the wildfires last fall. Yet as we look around us at the continuing clean up and the daily reminders as to just how close the Glass Fire did come to us, we are thankful to have wines safely stored in our cellar to share with you going forward.
Summer arrived early this year, following almost immediately on the heels of a very dry winter. Our lake is just about empty, but the vines are thriving along with our family. Mike and Kara are officially empty nesters; Taty is living and working in Seattle, while Alex and his fiancée (!) are just over the hill in Sonoma County. Mike is managing the winery, and both Kara and Kristina are working on the marketing and hospitality side. Kristina and Brian’s girls are looking forward to going back to school in August. Taylor will be entering third grade, and Ashlyn begins Kindergarten. Lori continues to enjoy her grandchildren, gardens, and vacation home at the coast. After purchasing a second firetruck for our own protection here at the winery, Randy has thrown himself into advocating for greater firefighting resources in the county.
This year marks the release of our 40th vintage - our 2018 wines. We could not have asked for a better wine with which to celebrate 40 vintages. This vintage has a little something for everyone. The fruit is generous and suave making it aromatically approachable for people who like to drink the wines upon release, while the plentiful tannins are soft and supple. On the other hand, collectors will be heartily rewarded for their patience on this wine. It marries the classic Dunn Howell Mountain tannins with the softness, sweet fruit, and opulence of the vintage. The Napa Valley bottling is a friendly, pleasant wine that is already expressive in the glass. Voluptuous without being heavy, rich yet light on its feet, we can’t wait to share this plush and ebullient wine with everyone. The 2018 Howell Mountain is darker and more serious, polished and sophisticated. Expansive on the pallet, it is quite tannic and dense; chewy, with wave after wave of soft, ripe tannins. Reminiscent of the 2012, but with greater density, it is truly one for the books!
As is the case for most everyone, the past year and a half led to some soul searching on both a personal and professional basis. In an effort to streamline our processes and mitigate chipped wax, we will be waxing only the Howell Mountain magnums going forward – all 750’s have been sealed with a foil capsule. While we recognize that some of you may miss the character of the wax, we are confident that many more of you will be pleased with the new packaging.
Lastly, we did hold back a bit of the 100 point 2017 El Camino for those of you who may not have been able to purchase it this past spring. Please reach out to Erin via email if you would like to order some. The price of this very special wine remains $300/bottle.
Thank you again for your continued support – and best wishes to you and your’s!
The Dunn Family
Received same email as Andrew in late July. Was a little slow to order but did email the form to Erin and my card was charged shortly thereafter.
Are these wines offered on the list at a discount to retail or essentially the same?
David, at a discount (2017 HM released at $130) but shipping can place it higher than retail. I have been able to score lower than list pricing with WDC coupons.
1 Like
question for those who are well versed with Dunn Wines
what is your experience in terms of the sweet spot for aging? Ten years minimum or less with lengthy decant?
Minimum or sweet spot? And are you talking Napa Valley or Howell Mountain?
Personally, my sweet spot for Dunn Howell Mountain is about 25 years, regardless of vintage.
My minimum is probably 15 years with a long decant, but I think you’re missing out on all a Dunn HM has to offer if you drink it that young.
I have less experience with the Napa Valley bottling, but the ones I’ve had weren’t far behind the HM in terms their drinking curve. I’d say 10 years to first pop, and 20 years to peak.
1 Like
I have a magnum of the 1998 Dunn Howell Mountain - would you recommend holding for a few more years?
According to CellarTracker as well as AG’s 2014 tasting note, you should be in the prime drinking window for this.
These have been rather ageless, to me.
I’ve never had one that is ‘past.’
We still open from the early 80s and plenty of room to go.
In honor of this thread, tried a youngster and had the 2013 HM.
Delicious. Still completely primary, but not brand new…my son guessed 2012, so some development! But, at first he thought Bordeaux…it has some good complexity, Sous Bois…I can actually see why he guessed that.
Classic straight up Cali mountain cab. Also some pencil lead.
Pour it for your kids so they can get an idea of what this great style is and how it holds up to contemplation!
Still too young, but big fun….with a killer looong finish.
This is good QPR.
How old do these typically have to be to be in their prime? I’ve had a few and they were all either too old or too young.
thank you - appreciate the advice
Honestly, a well stored magnum of 1998 would likely be youthful and delicious now but would benefit from a nice long decant… and would probably be at its best on the second night.
If they have been well stored, I think they start to hit their prime at 15 years and can easily go to 35 years. This is the Howell Mountain we’re talking about… although I’ve had 30 year old Napa Valley bottles that were every bit as good as a 30 year old HM.