The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is laced with the essence of graphite, cured meats, crème de cassis, smoke and licorice. Unctuous and deep, but with grippy Howell Mountain tannins underpinning the fruit, the 2014 has a lot going for it. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2014 for at least a few years. The Howell is a step up from some of the other wines in this range. All of the fruit for this wine came from Keyes.

Comes from the Spring Mountain Vineyard. Vibrant and juicy with sweet berry and blackcurrant fruit, with a touch of cedar and fine spices. It’s really fresh, but also quite ripe, with some woody notes under the concentrated, primary fruit. There’s a slight hint of pine freshness on the finish. There’s a touch of warmth on the finish. Still primary and unformed but with lots of promise.

Sweetly aromatic with sweet blackcurrant and red berry fruit notes, as well as a hint of cedar. The palate shows lush, sweet fruit with some cedar spiciness, and a touch of minty freshness on the finish. It needs time to integrate the sweet oak. Quite grippy on the finish with a sweet fruit profile. Some potential here.

Iron, tobacco, incense, graphite and smoke all open up in the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain. Rich, ample and layered on the palate, the 2012 boasts tons of depth and plenty of personality. This is the most intensely mineral and savory of the four Lokoya Cabernets. It is also one of the more open wines in this range today. With time in the glass, the fruit takes on distinctly more red-hued tones of expression, along with distinctive floral and spice nuances that add complexity.

Bright medium ruby. Captivating nose combines crushed cassis and blueberry, licorice, bitter chocolate, peppery herbs and a musky whiff of truffley underbrush. Plush, voluminous and deep; the largest and broadest of this superb set of 2011 cabernets, with seamless dark berry and pepper flavors complemented by sexy, perfectly integrated oak. Finishes thick and very long, with remarkably ripe tannins for the year. Although it's approachable now, I'd wait 5 years and then enjoy this big boy over the following 10 or 12.

Full ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, licorice and fresh herbs, complemented by notes of espresso and roasted earth. Sweet, plush and deep, with a distinct mineral character adding class and grip to the creme de cassis, black cherry and licorice flavors. For all its medicinal reserve and structure, this very long wine boasts a captivating creaminess of texture.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (from Veeder Peak) flows onto the palate with layers of dark, mineral-infused fruit. Graphite, cassis, blackberries, spices and new leather are some of the nuances that take shape in the glass. This is at once open and approachable, but also quite intense and mineral.

Blue fruit, spring flower, charcoal, and crushed rock aromas emerge from the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain. This wine possesses terrific ripeness, beautiful, surprisingly sweet, well-integrated tannins, plenty of black and blue fruit flavors, full body, and good harmony and overall equilibrium. It can be drunk now or cellared for two decades or more.

From the Reverie Vineyard, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain spent 22 months in 100% new French oak. Cedar, crushed rock, creme de cassis, smoke, and earthy characteristics are both compelling and complex. This mountain-styled Cabernet reveals soft tannins, a supple, full-bodied mouthfeel, and an elegant yet substantial personality. It should drink nicely for 15+ years.

Deep medium ruby. Inky, brooding aromas of black fruits, tar, licorice, minerals and crushed stone. Dense but sweet, with lovely mineral depths to the slightly high-toned flavors of black raspberry and currant. This boasts terrific flavor intensity and life. Finishes very long, with the suave tannins reaching the front teeth.

Ruby-red. Superripe aromas of currant, blueberry, mocha, brown spices and violet. Lush, dense and sweet, with lovely floral lift to the flavors of dark raspberry, dark chocolate and mint. An edge of acidity and very fine tannins gives shape to the wine's sweetness. A very elegant cabernet that's balanced for early drinking but should age well for at least a decade.

A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec, the 2015 Red Wine has an almost Monte Bello style in its blue fruits, cedary spice, crushed rocks, and violets aromas and flavors. Old school, concentrated, and structured, yet with balancing fruit and texture, it's a classic, age-worthy Bordeaux blend that's going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for a decade or more

Medium purple color. Deep, gorgeous nose of cassis and black currants, laced with a complex mix of earthy, smoky savory notes (charcoal, mesquite, grilled meat, black olive, pepper) with notes, also some vanilla, cedar. Structured but velvety on the palate, full but fresh, with moderating acidity. Rich blackberry and tart black currant fruit, topped with generous notes of charcoal, graphite, bay leaf, pepper, earth — the savory and spicy elements in here are lovely. I think age has really done wonders for this wine already, but it has many years of evolution ahead. 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, aged 26 months in 62% new French oak.

I usually like wines that are a bit more restrained, but I have to say, I’m smitten by this wine’s unleashed wild exuberance. Of course, mountain merlot is vastly different than “regular” merlot; it’s got more power, more potency, and more all-around gravitas. But big wines usually forfeit layers of flavor to achieve their magnitude. Not this one. The fleshy dark berry and sage-like flavors are laced with cassis, spices, and vanilla. An old stone winery atop Howell Mountain, La Jota was built in the 1800s by Italian stone masons and Chinese laborers who had worked on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Pure and refined, this offers savory richness to the dried red fruit and spice flavors. Tannins are firm but well-honed, and the finish is filled with mineral and cedar box notes, with a juicy rush of chocolate.

A mountain-grown wine blended with 10% Petit Verdot, this impresses in its ability to offer power and elegance in equal measure. Cinnamon, baked plum and dark cherry ride along a soft, structured and age-worthy wine, which shows a touch of reduction, espresso bean and dusty rock minerality.

La Jota's flagship, the 2015 Merlot W.S. Keyes, captures all of the richness and ripeness of the vintage and yet retains a nice amount of freshness. Blackberry jam, crème de cassis, licorice, plum and cloves infuse this decidedly rich, concentrated Merlot. Opulent, flamboyant and super-ripe, the 2015 has quite a bit to offer.

The 2014 Merlot is 90% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot aged in 76% new French oak. Carpenter told me that this wine emerges from a micro-terroir within the vineyard that has traditionally underperformed, but due to draconian crop-pruning and tiny yields, it has turned out to be a “rock star” in 2014. Dense purple, with a big, sweet kiss of mulberry, chocolate, mocha and coffee, the wine is luscious, fleshy, dramatic and even flamboyant, with fabulous fruit on the attack and mid-palate, silky tannin and a plush, layered mouthfeel. It is already drinking beautifully (as most 2014s are) and will continue to evolve nicely for another 12-15+ years.

Pure and powerful, with intense red berry and dark cherry flavors that are supported by fresh acidity and firm tannins. Dried green herb and spice notes show on the engaging and mineral-filled finish.

A compelling, unique wine, the 2014 Merlot W.S. Keyes exudes depth, richness and concentration. The 2014 is more of a blend, as it includes 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from Keyes, which is one of the most distinctive sites on Howell Mountain. Crème de cassis, lavender and a host of deeply spiced notes infuse the unctuous, rich finish. Most of the Merlot is from the old-vines section of Keyes, while the Cabernet is from younger vines.

This midnight purple colored Merlot from La Jota in very very good. It opens with a fragrant boysenberry and dark chocolate bouquet with hints of pomegranate. On the palate, this wine is full bodied and balanced. The flavor profile is a rich and extracted ripe blackberry and stewed plum blend with nicely integrated oak and minerality. I also detected a hint of blueberry in the background. The finish is dry and its solid and well-managed tannins linger and last nicely. This went perfect with my braised beef and rigatoni with sauteed wild mushrooms with a red wine reduced sauce.

The La Jota Merlot is more linear and more refined. It’s a trimmer, less opulent Merlot than the Mt. Brave, but within its leaner frame it hits the classic Merlot descriptors of smoothness, softness and richness. Holding the wine in your mouth and swishing it around, you can feel the silkiness of texture within the wine’s firm tannin, and sense the impeccable balance of acid and tannin to fruit and alcohol. The fruit itself is outstanding, seeming to embody a perfect acid to sweet-ripeness ratio. Aromas and flavors are pure and precise, suggesting blackberry and plum mingled with mocha and a cool minerality. It is thoroughly enjoyable now for those who enjoy more subtle wines, and its balance argues for long potential.

The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wine Reviewed Fresh blackcurrants, herbs, ivy, licorice and dried violets. Full-bodied with lovely tangy fruit, a real dash of acidity, grippy tannins and a long, structured finish. Drink in 2021.

This is a 100% varietal wine, juicy and broad on the palate with mouth-filling tannins that show its youthful vigor. Cherry and raspberry liqueur flavors run deep, wrapped in sizable oak and well-integrated accents of cedar and dried herb. This stands to be cellared; enjoy best 2024 through 2029.

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.