Palate
Dark and brooding with a lush mid palate and
long, juicy finish this wine is somewhat atypical for Howell Mountain in its
accessibility but all the proper taste character comes through on the flavor profile:
blackberries, blueberries, a touch of white pepper, camphor and black currants.
Growing Conditions
Outpost was established in 1998 with the vision of producing wines that are a living, breathing embodiment of this magical place. Truly one of the world’s great Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel growing regions, the unique terroir of the Outpost vineyards – the hard, rocky red soil, high altitude, gentle cooling breezes and sunny western exposure – produces fruit of incredible intensity and richness, with a distinctive spice you simply cannot find anywhere else.
Capturing the essence of the land’s rugged terrain, Outpost creates world-class 100% varietal bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Grenache from our own hand-cultivated, organically farmed 28 acre estate vineyard.
No other wine from 2006 expresses all the attributes that we love about this
vintage as much as this bottling. This was a particularly strong year for our estate clone 337 Cabernet and this
may partially explain its great drinkability.
Winemaking
Outpost grapes are harvested late in the season – by hand, at dawn – to preserve the full intensity and distinctive spicy character of the mountain fruit. The grapes are processed with as little manipulation as possible. Grapes from each block within the vineyard are fermented separately so that our winemaking team can be very selective about the lots that comprise the final blend. Wines are neither fined nor filtered allowing for the full expression of the vintages’ potential.
