Palate
Howell Mountain is one of the best locations in Napa for Merlot winemaking. Made from a combination of our La Jota and Keyes Vineyard Merlot, you will find fl avors of milk chocolate and dark blackberry mixed with an incredible texture. A hint of vanilla accompanies the finish as you enjoy this wine.
Winemaking
The fruit from La Jota is hand-harvested into small, 30-pound boxes to prevent crushing and brought to the winery for hand sorting. After de-stemming and light crushing, the must is cold soaked for gentle color, fl avor and tannin extraction. To bridle the “mountain tannins”, small amounts of oxygen are introduced to the wine daily with two “splashing pump-overs” during the primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks. In-barrel malolactic fermentation rounds the acidity and softly integrates the vanillin character of the new French oak barrels. Gentle racking occurs to further enhance the wine’s elegance.
Aging
22 months in French oak (90% new)
