2012 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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S$22596
- S$38388
Vintage : 2012
Region : Napa Valley
Country : USA
Winemaker Notes
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is one of the most exotic, flamboyant young wines I have ever tasted from Randy and Mike Dunn. Graphite, cherry liqueur, smoke, licorice, plums and crème de cassis, open up in an alluring Cabernet Sauvignon that melds together ripeness and structure. The fruit is distinctly red-toned in 2012, with fewer of the darker notes that are often present in the Howell Cabernet. Pliant and expressive, but with plenty of underlying tannin, the 2012 is shaping up to be a beauty. Best of all, it won’t need decades in the cellar to start drinking well
About Us
In 1978 Randy and Lori purchased a 14-acre parcel in Angwin with about 5 acres of Cabernet vines on it. At the time, Randy was working full-time as a winemaker in Rutherford. In the evenings and on weekends, Randy, Lori, and a young Mike tended the vines. The same year, Randy agreed to farm and buy the fruit from Harry Frank's adjoining property. That first harvest yielded 9 tons of fruit from these two vineyards. Randy purchased an additional 3 tons from the Beatty Ranch and Dunn Vineyards was underway.
Everything picked up speed after that. Randy, Lori, Mike and baby Jennifer moved onto the property that today is the winery. In 1981, the winery was officially bonded. By 1984 the ATF approved Howell Mountain as a sub-AVA of the Napa Valley. Kristina was born and Lori was now running after 2 young daughters and a teenage son. Randy was still working down in the valley so the family business was still relegated to evenings and weekends. But things were going well. By 1985 they moved into the new family house (the "Brown House") and Randy left his job in the valley.
By the end of the '80's Dunn Vineyards had become a successful operation. Randy was consulting for other wineries and selling out all of his wine. In 1989 he had run out of room to store barrels and he tunneled into the mountain to make more space. Now they had room for more barrels and a place for Jenny and Kristina to rollerskate
In 1999, Mike came back to help out part-time. It took about three years, but the "cellar grunt" came on full-time. Kristina graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in winemaking and viticulture and came onboard. By 2005, both kids were working full-time for Randy. Dunn Vineyards had always been a family business, but this was a whole new level.
Kristina's girls are a little young yet, but they tour the vineyards eating wild blackberries, testing grape ripeness and visiting uncle Mike. Mike's son Alex has been helping out with bottling for the past several years and 2017 was his first full harvest. So far it looks good for the Dunn clan to continue farming this land
There are some distinct benefits to being above 1400 feet in elevation. We tend to see more sunshine each day and the heat tends to be more moderate. But spring starts later for us and, like winter, tends to be cooler here than on the valley floor. Frost is a concern from bud break through flowering. In 2008, four days of 19-degree temperatures devastated half our crop. Our yields average about 2 tons an acre (which is really low) but the cool, wet vintages do not have the same negative effects that come with being on the valley floor.
We farm about 42 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon on the property. This is a manageable size for us to remain in the driver's seat for all farming and winemaking operations.
Winemaker Notes
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is one of the most exotic, flamboyant young wines I have ever tasted from Randy and Mike Dunn. Graphite, cherry liqueur, smoke, licorice, plums and crème de cassis, open up in an alluring Cabernet Sauvignon that melds together ripeness and structure. The fruit is distinctly red-toned in 2012, with fewer of the darker notes that are often present in the Howell Cabernet. Pliant and expressive, but with plenty of underlying tannin, the 2012 is shaping up to be a beauty. Best of all, it won’t need decades in the cellar to start drinking well
About Us
In 1978 Randy and Lori purchased a 14-acre parcel in Angwin with about 5 acres of Cabernet vines on it. At the time, Randy was working full-time as a winemaker in Rutherford. In the evenings and on weekends, Randy, Lori, and a young Mike tended the vines. The same year, Randy agreed to farm and buy the fruit from Harry Frank's adjoining property. That first harvest yielded 9 tons of fruit from these two vineyards. Randy purchased an additional 3 tons from the Beatty Ranch and Dunn Vineyards was underway.
Everything picked up speed after that. Randy, Lori, Mike and baby Jennifer moved onto the property that today is the winery. In 1981, the winery was officially bonded. By 1984 the ATF approved Howell Mountain as a sub-AVA of the Napa Valley. Kristina was born and Lori was now running after 2 young daughters and a teenage son. Randy was still working down in the valley so the family business was still relegated to evenings and weekends. But things were going well. By 1985 they moved into the new family house (the "Brown House") and Randy left his job in the valley.
By the end of the '80's Dunn Vineyards had become a successful operation. Randy was consulting for other wineries and selling out all of his wine. In 1989 he had run out of room to store barrels and he tunneled into the mountain to make more space. Now they had room for more barrels and a place for Jenny and Kristina to rollerskate
In 1999, Mike came back to help out part-time. It took about three years, but the "cellar grunt" came on full-time. Kristina graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in winemaking and viticulture and came onboard. By 2005, both kids were working full-time for Randy. Dunn Vineyards had always been a family business, but this was a whole new level.
Kristina's girls are a little young yet, but they tour the vineyards eating wild blackberries, testing grape ripeness and visiting uncle Mike. Mike's son Alex has been helping out with bottling for the past several years and 2017 was his first full harvest. So far it looks good for the Dunn clan to continue farming this land
There are some distinct benefits to being above 1400 feet in elevation. We tend to see more sunshine each day and the heat tends to be more moderate. But spring starts later for us and, like winter, tends to be cooler here than on the valley floor. Frost is a concern from bud break through flowering. In 2008, four days of 19-degree temperatures devastated half our crop. Our yields average about 2 tons an acre (which is really low) but the cool, wet vintages do not have the same negative effects that come with being on the valley floor.
We farm about 42 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon on the property. This is a manageable size for us to remain in the driver's seat for all farming and winemaking operations.1
98 points James Suckling
Stones and walnuts with blackberries and blueberries. A full-bodied, super-refined and polished wine that culminates in a racy and refined finish. Extremely long and exciting. Great wine. 
(2/2017)
96 points Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting like a great Bordeaux, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain reveals a deeper ruby/plum hue to go with a classic Cabernet nose of blackcurrant and blackberry fruits intermixed with tobacco, scorched earth, licorice, and lead pencil notes. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it's shed its youthful baby fat and has a pure, focused texture with building tannins, wonderful overall balance, and terrific length. In an adolescent phase, it needs another 2-4 years of bottle age to hit full maturity, where it should stay for another 15-20 years. This is a beautiful, classic wine from this estate that reminds me of some of the Dunn wines from the 1980s. (5/2022)
95 points Decanter
A rich, brooding bouquet of blackberry, tar, truffle and mint leads into a full-bodied, layered wine with a wonderful core of ripe fruit and comparatively supple tannins by the standards of this typically reserved cuvée. (WK) (11/2017)
95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is classic Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, with plenty of licorice, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, forest floor and background oak and earth. It is full-bodied, showing wonderfully sweet tannin and a long, layered finish. It does strike me as somewhat more approachable in its youth than Randy Dunn’s Cabernets would have been. Certainly, this will age for 25 or more years. (RP) 95+
