O'Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

- 95 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE: "The sensational 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (which is reasonably priced, given how superb it is) is her largest cuvée of just under 3,300 cases. It is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny quantities of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot, and a real head scratcher, St. Macaire. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of white flowers, licorice, forest floor and graphite, this wine exhibits classic mulberry, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit notes, some background, vague oak, a full-bodied, beautifully proportioned mouthfeel, and a layered finish. Like most 2014s, it can be drunk now, but it has at least two decades of cellaring potential.
Betty O’Shaughnessy bought her property on Howell Mountain in 1996, and ever since 1999 has had the very talented Sean Capiaux making her wines. Her vineyards on Howell Mountain sit at a high elevation of just under 2000 feet in the red, rocky, volcanic soils the area is known for. I have always been a big fan of these wines, as they are full-flavored but incredibly pure and well-balanced, and that has continued with her bevy of 2014s."

- 95+ Punkte VINOUS Antonio Galloni: "The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is going to be a knock-out once it loses some baby fat and the new oak incorporates a bit more. Deep, powerful and vertical in feel, the 2014 possesses remarkable depth, intensity of color and balance. Inky, deep and creamy, with a real sense of gravitas, the 2014 is pure class through and through."