Nose
Youthful and accessible, 2017 Howell Mountain leaps from the glass with ripe currant, pine forest fragrance, and dark chocolate shavings.
Palate
Blood orange, nori, and savory bone broth flavors wrap around the summer plum, blackberry, and fig fruits inherent on the palate.
Winemaking
Hand harvested in the cool early morning hours, the fruit was immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, including our cutting edge optical sorter, with a goal of eliminating less-than-perfect berries. The selected fruit was gently delivered to tank via gravity by our crane system, retaining perfect, whole berries. Cold soaks lasted approximately five days, and fermentations were managed by a combination of délestage and pump overs. Extended maceration, ranging from three to four weeks, fine-tuned tannin profiles, allowing us to build structure and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 65% of which were new, for twenty-one months.