Ladera, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain

Big and bold. Dusky as the last reviewer mentioned. To me, drinks like a Bordeaux blend. I would pop it now if you have it. Seems like it’s mellowed about as much as it will and may be starting to lose some of its flavors.

2015 vintage

Beautiful full bodied cab. Red fruits, dusky, long finish. Ten years old and still fruity and vibrant. Could age even longer.

2015 vintage

Beautiful example of Howell mountain, big, bold, but enough time to soften the tannins

2015 vintage

Beautiful fruity Napa cab. Decanted for two hours. Still bold and long finish.

2015 vintage

Dark opaque. Mineral, pencil, evolved to dark fruit: Cherry, spicy mineralality. This is an outstanding wine/vintage!

2013 vintage

Offered at a dinner party. Right in its prime right now, drinking very well! This should drink well for a number of years. Excellent.

2015 vintage

Well, this wine has arrived. Boysenberry, currant black pepper, on nose a palate consistent with medium to full flavors and solid finish. Great "go to" Napa cab at the beginning of its drinking window. From a half.

2013 vintage

94-95 smooth

2013 vintage

Big wine with dark fruit notes. Very old style Napa like, imo

2013 vintage

Good expression of a Howell Mountain Cab. Fruit forward, but not too much. Full bodied with nice tannins.

2013 vintage

Felt it was past its prime. Muted flavors even after letting it sit. Easy drinking but no tannin or much of anything else.

2015 vintage

Drank this one over two days (vacuum sealed overnight). The first day was far better than the second. Try consume the whole bottle in one sitting.

2015 vintage

Don't rush the first sip. Really needs some time to open up, then you will be rewarded.

2015 vintage

Give it a couple hours to open up.

2015 vintage

Continuing to get better with some age in the bottle.

2015 vintage

Served with NY Strips, this was a pretty classic Cali Cab. It was good, and seemed on the verge of releasing a bit more depth or complexity, but it just never got there. If anything, the later night and second day pours had lost a bit. A trifle disappointing, nevertheless about a 92 showing.

2013 vintage

Identical profile to my note of 8-1-2022.

2013 vintage

Very ready to drink now. Really enjoyed this with a charcuterie for dinner. It was smooth as silk

2015 vintage

From a Magnum we gave it about an hour decant and drank over next couple hours with family celebrating a big birthday. Have never had this wine before but everyone loved it. Upon open obviously a bit tight being a mag but after the hour decant everything was singing nice dark cherry fruit some cassis and just a lovely wine and continued to deliver over the next couple hours. Wish maybe I'd bought a few more. From a magnum format …

2013 vintage

One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Big nose of blackberries emanated forth during decant. In the glass, wine was clear; dark bowl to rim, with a big clear halo. After resting, nose of blackberry compote, some licorice, and a hint of vanilla. But no fruit bomb. Very nice balance and the acid made it a perfect accompaniment to a buttered steak. Long, long finish. I actually think I drank this a little early, but it was very good.

2013 vintage

A lot of alcohol initially. Seems to be getting better over time. nothing special.

2013 vintage

Austere on open, but an absolute wow with 2-3 hours of air!!!! Buy if you can find, excellent!

2013 vintage

Drink in the sweet spot of 1.5 - 3 hours after opening. Starts to fade after that.

2013 vintage

Fantastic now. Go ahead and work through cellar on this one. Give an hour or so to breathe and be careful of all the sediment.

2013 vintage

Amazing wine drinking well right now. Give it at least 30-60 minutes to open up. Big, bold. Lots of sediment present, so handle bottle carefully.

2013 vintage

Disappointing

2013 vintage

Good wine, but not nearly as good the second day as the first. Try to drink in one sitting. Sweet spot is 2-3 hours from opening. I'd suggest drinking this one now as opposed to waiting for more time to pass.

2015 vintage

Consistent with last note

2013 vintage

Very dry on the opening. We will see in the next few hours.

2013 vintage

Very nicely balanced. It definitely improved after a couple of hours.

2013 vintage

PnP was good; needed 30 minutes to become great. Faded at 2.5 hours

2013 vintage

Outstanding! Deep, dark color. Initially tight but opened up beautifully in about an hour. Think Blackberry pie, rich & opulent with dark berry fruit, licorice hints. With Petit Filet, Mac & cheese - a bit of smoked Gouda was Devine!

2013 vintage

Tasted over three nights, these notes are from the third night. Very rich, dark, concentrated, some sweetness, very smooth long finish.

2013 vintage

Overly dry and slightly disappointing. Very short finish and really no noticeable flavors. Double decant and tasted over 3 hours. Still, even though it wasn’t overly impressive, it left a favorable impression on my palate.

2015 vintage

Still holding up well. Uber dry, but with the sensation of sweetness. Real value. Last bottle of this for me.

2013 vintage

Consistent with my last note. Drinking very well right now. Give it an hour to open up and you will be set for the evening.

2013 vintage

Exceeded my expectations. Nicely layered spice.

2013 vintage

Cedar/ licorice/ earthy with blue/black fruit. Have some of your fav chocolate handy. Allow to open up/ decant. Drinkable now yet will likely do well in the next few years (4-7.)

2013 vintage

From magnum. Brought with us to the season-end party at the Black Diamond clubhouse. Initially austere and a bit grapey, this took quite a while to finally show its best. This is "old-school" Napa Cabernet - not by any means a blockbuster. After about 90 minutes, the wine started to show beautifully. Very elegant in weight and texture, yet it displays excellent depth and focus on the mid-palate. Builds and builds into a long, silky smooth finish that features prominent …

2013 vintage

Great. It has come around and is balanced, smooth tannins. Ready.

2013 vintage

This wine is obviously still very young. If opening soon, be sure to give it a couple hours to breathe before drinking. Deep, dark and with a long finish, this wine is sure to develop much more over the coming years. Ladera;s write up of the taste profile matches what I found, although it wasn't nearly as nuanced as indicated yet.

2015 vintage

Checking in on this, two years since my last bottle. Really hasn't lost much of a step, maybe a bit softer and smoother. That's a good thing in this case. Glad I have one more.

2013 vintage

This wine is really coming along nicely. Drank it over two days. The second day was spectacular! Ladera's description of powerful, yet elegant, with flavorful plum, blackberry and black cherry is really spot on. This is a powerhouse wine. Very happy I still have 8 bottles left.

2013 vintage

Closed, chunky. Later, boysenberry fruit with hefty structure. Should be solid in time...good for a few more points. Today, a tough drink.

2013 vintage

375ml bottle so opened it earlier than normally would. Rich boysenberry, with medium tannic bite, powerful earthy notes. Agree with comments on graphite providing structure. Really nice wine but lacking in finish or depth that would place it with the big boys. But a good value at my local shop.

2013 vintage

Not quite together and a little rough. I think another year to two may help.

2013 vintage

Nose: Nice earth and fruit and some oak/wood (imagine an old or aged wooden box, in a good way). Palate: Good fruit (like berries) and good amount of tannin.. full bodied, concentrated.. seems to be almost very extracted (from the oak aging). A little too hot though (14.4% alc). I can see why people are saying give it some time and air.. it's a little too hot. The tannins are very strong (is that what people mean when they say …

2013 vintage

Yum. This was the last $40 retail vintage and worth every penny. I have yet to try the ‘14 which jumped to $70 retail

2013 vintage

Surprised this one is not getting more love. Clearly not ready. Closed on initial opening even after several hours of air. By day two, showing balance and signs of what’s to come. Rich complex palette of elegant dark fruit, graphite, and tobacco. Highly concentrated. Zero off-putting jaminess. I tasted this shortly after release last year. It overwhelmed with powerful tannins but showed finesse so I brought several bottles. One year later, its progress has me enthusiastic. This is a Howell …

2013 vintage

The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, raisin and strawberry jam. The body is medium/full. The wine finishes medium.

2013 vintage

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Ladera, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain

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