22 Cabernet Sauvignon Wines, Mostly Napa Valley Sometimes all you have to do is sniff and sip a wine to think, “O.K., this is the real deal.” In the case of La Jota Vineyard Co. Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Napa Valley, you pay for that heightened reality, but depending on your point of view, the expenditure is worthwhile. The wine is a blend of 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, 8.5 percent cabernet franc, 7.5 merlot, 6 malbec and 3 petit verdot, encompassing what writers used to call “the five classic Bordeaux grape varieties.” Of course malbec is as rare now in Bordeaux as a diamond in a turkey’s craw, but whatever. Anyway, the wine aged 22 months in French oak, 65 percent new barrels, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. The color is an impenetrable black-magenta; every element here is intense and concentrated, deeply spiced and macerated, powerful and robust but beautifully balanced; call it an amalgam or a melange — what the nose and palate perceive are piercing notes of iodine, lavender and licorice, mint and black olive, hints of sage, thyme and underbrush, all leavened by dense, juicy black fruit scents and flavors and rigorous, rock-ribbed tannins that lend the wine a vigorous foundation and Olympian finish. 14.5 percent alcohol. Try from 2020-’21 through 2030-’33. A great achievement from winemaker Chris Carpenter. Exceptional.

Valentine's to Indulge Your Sweet Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But what is the perfect gift to show how much you care? This year give bottles of sparkling Rosé, and dark chocolate filled red wine, instead of the traditional bunch of roses or box of chocolates. Here are selections to shower your sweetie with flavorful romance, all available throughout Hawaii Island... If divine chocolates make your true love melt, Cabernet Sauvignon selections from...La Jota ($100)...will please, melding dark chocolate with blackberry, cassis and woody herbs.

Wine of incredible quality in a breathtaking setting Flavors are chocolate, espresso, ripe blackberry, and a hint of Petit Verdot finishing with an earthy tannic structure, there is no doubt you are drinking a Howell Mountain Cabernet.

The wine showed a dark ruby almost opaque color. Blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, raspberry, plum, vanilla, oak and eucalyptus arrived on the nose. Blackberry, vanilla, black cherry, cassis, plum, mocha, oak and eucalyptus followed on the palate where the black cherry rejoined the mix. The wine exhibited excellent structure and length, along with velvety tannins. This lushly textured wine would pair well with a hearty lamb stew or beef short ribs.

Very heavy bottle. Dark crimson. Quite complex nose and pretty demanding and youthful on the palate. This seems less ashamed of its tannins than most. And I’d keep it longer before broaching it. An interesting treacly note but it’s not too sweet. 16.5/20

What to Drink Now: Napa Cabernet Sauvignon A good bottle of Cab remains a go-to wine Napa Valley delivers sublime Cabernet Sauvignon options. The joy is finding what your palate prefers. Here are a few to try this season. (Some were sent for editorial consideration.) Get a taste of all of these delicious wines and more, while helping the Napa Valley community, at Auction Napa Valley May 31 through June 3, presented annually by the Napa Valley Vintners. For lovers of high-elevation mountain fruit, consider Cardinale ($250) which blends five of Napa’s mountain ranges into layers of dried blueberry, leather, cigar box and espresso for an earthy representation of textured, highly structured Cabernet Sauvignon. Or highlighted in individual mountain AVAs, like Cardinale sister wines La Jota ($75) from Howell Mountain and Mt. Brave ($75) from Mount Veeder, both concentrated, dense and divine.

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, plus Petit Verdot and Malbec. 19 months in French oak, 89% new. Fresh and very Cabernet Sauvignon. Quite a bit of tannin. Chewy but not too sweet. 16+/20.

Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, plum and violets. In the mouth, the wine tastes of bright black cherry and cassis, with juicy pops of unripe blackberry thanks to excellent acidity. A gorgeous floral, herbal note lingers in the finish along with fine grained, muscular tannins. A very young wine that will resolve nicely with some time. 14.5% alcohol. 4333 cases made. Score :between 9 and 9.5

I am more of a mountain fruit fan, adoring the wines of Atlas Peak and Howell Mountain, as well as hopping over the Mayacamus Mountain into Sonoma Valley to sip the wines produced off the Moon Mountain AVA. High atop Howell Mountain the historic La Jota Vineyard was first planted in 1898, and has been producing earthy, elegant wines with a distinct earthiness since. The La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon is well-structured and refined, bringing freshness thanks to the high elevation of the vineyard, to the rich, robust wine. The result, something you can wait to toast with, on any special occasion or any simple day.

2011 La Jota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley: toasty oak aroma, flavors of blackberries, herbs and licorice, bold and full-bodied, long, smooth finish.

Smooth as silk and with no elbows. Dark chocolate, black plum and black cherry fruit, with subtle oak spice and minerality.

Cool cassis, cherry. Good balance, burnt fruit character, shows promise. 2 years.

La Crema is known for its primary focus on California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This limited-production sparkling wine, however, has found a home in Oregon’s cool-climate Willamette Valley. A blend of the winery’s signature grapes, the Pinot Noir-forward bubbly is a beauty.

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The Best 5 Wine Pairing That Go Perfectly With These Romance Novels 1. For Something Light & Bright While You Read About Sweet Things Want something fruity that pairs with the sweet story of Allison Lane, an event planner who finds herself falling in love in Sweet, Texas of all places? While sipping this Pinot Noir rosé, you'll smell hints of crisp grapefruit, strawberry, and white floral notes. Hibiscus will fill your nostrils, allowing you to feel like you're watching Allison's love in real life. Perfect for wine drinkers who love Pinot Noir but might crave something lighter when reading romance novels.

Nice to see California attempting serious dry rose instead of gummy sweeter versions of White Zinfandel. This is a mid-weight, fresh indeed almost lean edition from cooler Monterey-grown pinot noir. Pricey but well done.

The wine showed a pale salmon color. Cherry, raspberry, rose petal, lemon and ripe peach all arrived on the juicy nose. Cherry, watermelon candy, raspberry, strawberry, slate and hints of lemon followed on a palate where the watermelon was replaced with lemon as the wine opened up. The wine exhibited great acidity and balance, along with good structure and length. This wine would be a great aperitif to enjoy on the patio on a warm spring afternoon. It would also pair well with a variety of charcuterie or a classic fried oyster po' boy.

The Weekly Dozen – A Fresh Bouquet of Pinks Fresh and crisp – strawberries with a hint of tropical fruits.

Rosé is breaking out of its stereotypes The pinot noir grape is thin-skinned and temperamental, but proper care before and after harvest can result in unmatched finesse and elegance. In rosé, pinot noir is crisp and dry with a firm acidity, but with time I have found releases that also express a true flavor profile of the grape with limited skin contact. One such wine, the readily available 2018 La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé from Monterey County, expresses balanced flavors of watermelon, strawberry and grapefruit with mineral elements and a vibrant acidity.

Chillin’ With Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018 La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé, Monterey — pale salmon in the glass with struck match then aromas of mixed berries. Flavors of ripe raspberries and blackberries combine with a delicate perfume and finish with citrus pith. Citrusy notes and bright acidity keep this rosé light and refreshing. 13.5% abv. $25 I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the flavor of this La Crema rosé based on the aromas. That wasn’t the case, however. This flavors are lively and interesting. Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 777, 2A and Pommard were harvested from four sites in the Monterey appellation. All vineyard sites enjoy cooling breezes and maritime influences of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The grapes were pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at cool temperature. The wine spent two to three months on the lees before blending and bottling.

Wine of the Week A gorgeous rosé with great minerality and high-toned fruit. Excellent balance. Manages to be light on its feet, yet complex with a range of flavors: strawberry, rhubarb, raspberry and watermelon. Striking. 4 stars.

From the Monterey AVA is La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé 2018, a delicious wine from a remarkable vintage year. With its cool, mild summer and only a few spikes of heat, grapes were able to ripen slowly and develop intense, broad flavors. Greeting me in the glass was a rosé that glowed pale to medium pink, depending on the amount of sunlight shining through the window! On the nose, I explored elements of snappy grapefruit, just-clipped roses, ripe strawberries and grapefruit zest. Light and breezy, my palate was impressed with flavors of oranges and strawberries bolstered by notes of minerality. Crisp and generous, the tangy, fruit filled finish lingered.

Know What to Look for to Find a Great Rosé La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé: Perhaps best known for its buttery Chardonnays and bold Pinot Noirs, this delicate yet vibrant rosé from Northern California’s La Crema is perhaps the best of both worlds. With notes of watermelon, strawberry, and blood orange matched by aromas of pink grapefruit and guava, this is one of your best bets for pairing with favorite summertime foods, such as wild salmon, Dungeness crab, and grilled rock shrimp.

Drink this: Kickstart the pink wine season with this Californian Rosé The pick: La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé, 2018, a pink manages to be both fun and serious at the same time. Is it pink wine season yet? That’s a trick question, since pink wine is always in season these days. Still, even though it’s recently become perfectly acceptable to drink rosé year-round, it’s okay to get excited about all the new pink releases that start to pour into liquor stores every Spring. La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé is one of the first out of the gate and, dare we say it, a pretty excellent start to the season. Backstory: Although France once completely owned the dry rosé wine scene with its seasonal releases from Provence, over the past few years some lovely New World expressions have started to challenge southern French dominance. California, for example, which used to be known for its sweeter “blush” wines (a.k.a. white zinfandel), is now producing some amazing, dry pink wines, too. Sometimes they’re blended from a range of grapes, but this one is 100 percent Pinot Noir, grown in La Crema Winery’s Monterey vineyard. Why you’ll like it: It’s hard to be both elegant and fruit-forward, but that’s exactly what this dry, balanced, slightly buttery and eminently easy-drinking wine is. After chilling, let it warm up for 15 minutes before serving, so that all the cantaloupe, berry and acidic citrus notes shine through. Perfect with fresh fish, pizza or crossword puzzles on a lazy afternoon.