Outpost Wines

California

Outpost Howell Mountain Zinfandel

Howell Mountain

$ USD

Release Price

Drink Window

16.2%

ABV

pH

TA

RS

Palate

The Zinfandel from 2008 features a firmer, more savory
constitution than in years past. The fruit concentration
is certainly there but it’s the complexity that’s the most
striking element in this wine. Usually the brambly,
briary aspect coupled with tannin shuts down the fruit
component of this bottling for the first few years of
the wine’s life. That’s not the case here where all the
nuances of the wines are in full balance. It’s hard to
say why but my guess is this is the best we’ve done
managing tannins in the zinfandel. Given how late we
pick at Outpost, we were fully aware of the potential
concentration and tannin capability present in 2008
when these grapes came into the winery.

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. We also produce a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and ‘Immigrant’ red blend, a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, from our 9 acre True vineyard.

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.