La Jota Vineyard, Merlot, Howell Mountain

A bit past its prime.

Dont wait too long on this guy. This is 100% ready to drink today. Its a nice dark, super approachable wine. Cheers

A winery library release picked up in a wine club shipment 2 months ago. On its side in the 56-59 deg cellar since then. I've been totally enthralled with their '14 Restricted Merlot off of Spring Mountain and have re-ordered it multiple times over the past 2-3 years. This is my first of the '14 La Jota Howell Mtn Merlot. Pnp'd and enjoyed with Carol over about 3 hours til it was gone. A little tight/reserved on opening with both …

A deep, brooding Merlot drinking at a nice maturity. Dark fruit, moist soil, good length and complexity.

Incredible wine. Drinkable today. Well worth the wait. Fruit is becoming balanced. Cheers

Lots of minerality to this wine, backed up by dark fruits. We all liked it, but this seemed to be a case where the mountain terroir overshadowed the grape variety. Wish there was more Merlot character shining through. A few hours of air helped provide better balance, so maybe more time in the cellar will see it evolve in a positive direction. For me, the best example of mountain Merlot continues to be O’Shaughnessy.

Last bottle here. It's ready all day!! Well balanced. Fruit is at its prime!!! I was lucky enough to buy this from the producer a few months back. I wish I could hold wines this long.

Fruit has finally balanced through the years. dark mountain fruit. Drink today. Cheers

Incredible mountain fruit. Very stone like ground soil from the mountains. Very well done. Cheers

Decanted for 1.5 hours... continued to open up over the next 2 hours in which it was consumed. Big Merlot, great fruit, tremendous finish. Let it lay down for another 5 years at least.

Wow. A nice example of how Howell Mountain Merlot can be world class and appeal to hard core Napa Cab fans. Not as soft as Merlots can be thanks to firm but not overpowering tannins and 10% Petit Verdot. Dense black fruit - currant and plum with vanilla, black pepper, clove and cinnamon on the finish. Excellent!

Definitely a cab lovers merlot. Nose had us all convinced it was a Napa cab. Very smooth but does not pack a punch with the finish. Enjoyed with Mediterranean food. Feels like this can handle some more age but definitely drinkable now.

Starts off black and blue but then gets more red fruited as it opens. This is a baby. We are lobbying to have a bottle opened tonight to enjoy tomorrow. This wine has a great toasted oak tannin finish. Middle has medium+ density weight. Really nice bottle. Will be a 94 in 5 years but solid 92-93 now. Can't imagine what the WS Keyes Merlot tastes like!

A Trio of Chris Carpenter Merlots : This tastes like a less deep and more nimble version of the Keyes. Each has a rich, round, earthy, gravelly taste profile, but the Keyes just offers it at a greater intensity. They are both the same song, but one has the volume turned to 6, while the other is turned to 9. The general La Jota is darker and thinner than the Keyes, with aromas that are more subdued: notes of blackberry, …

Beautiful wine. Absolutely amazing pairing with the pizza at Redd Wood in Yountville.

Bold purple color. On the nose, I get waves of black currants, gushing plums, black cherries and pomegranate, along with rich earth, eucalyptus, sage, sweet pipe tobacco, vanilla and violets — just lovely stuff. Gorgeous structure on the palate, velvety but sturdy tannins, moderating acidity. Plums, currants, black cherries, blackberries, exquisite fruit. Tons of charcoal, graphite, iron, mineral, notes of mushroom and soy, along with cocoa, vanilla, cedar and violets. Deep and complex yet effortless and elegant. So much time …