A Day in Howell Mountain!

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a day with the Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley (CANV) and explore the region of Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley.
From the Howell Mountain Association's website, here is a description of the area:
"When the fog rolls off the ocean and into the Napa Valley, the weather on Howell Mountain is generally sunny and cool. The appellation owes its distinctive climate to the fact that it is positioned well above the valley floor. Because of its altitude, generally, evening temperatures are warmer and daytime temperatures are much cooler—leveling out spikes in heat that tend to be more exaggerated at lower elevations. Although it gets nearly twice as much rainfall as the valley below, the soil tends to be dry, because rocky, porous soil conditions allow for adequate drainage and less accumulation. Seasonally, cooler spring temperatures cause buds to break later than average, and warm summer nights produce fruit that demonstrates a great balance between acidity and sugar. All of which, translates into a rich diversity of complexity and flavor in your glass."

Our first stop was Ladera Vineyards - "Ladera Vineyards is the home of estate grown and produced Cabernet Sauvignon focused primarily on our two designated wines, the Lone Canyon Vineyard Cabernet and the Howell Mountain Appellation Cabernet. Behind our fine wines is our historic 1886 restored and renovated stone winery and underground barrel caves." What a fantastic property - the owners gave us a tour, and showed us their facilities. Of all of their wines (we tasted 6 total), my favorite was their Malbec. Yum!

The next stop was O'Shaughnessy, which was an absolutely beautiful facility. The photo below (apologies for the reflection) shows the enclosed tasting table, for more private tasting sessions.

With a glass of their 2006 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Varietal Composition (which is phenomenal, by the way!), we headed into their caves to continue the tour.

Their caves are famous, and when you walk through them and experience them firsthand, you understand why! Our guide, Annette, brought us into the owners' private wine cellar, which is a spectacle. 

Moving back to the tasting room, we enjoyed a wonderful meal, and enjoyed the 2006 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, which was amazing as well. Walking around on the beautiful, yet crisp morning, I snapped some photos of the private spots on the property:

We headed out, to see another winery - Cimarossa. This spot was so secluded and wonderful - we felt like it was the only house for miles. From the deck, we looked through the mountains and could see St. Helena on the clear day. Unfortunately I did not have my camera to take a picture of the shot...

We tasted the property's one varietal- their 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a very rich, full-bodied red wine with notes of black current and blackberries, with a lingering taste of cinnamon.

We took off for the next stop - Arkenstone Winery. This property is still under construction, but has been a working custom crush facility for about 5 years. They are in the process of building a tasting room/winery at the time. But, to accommodate us (there were 15 of us!), we went into the fermentation tank room, and went onto a balcony overlooking the cave/barrel facility. It was a neat perspective - to see the people working away while we drank and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

From here, we drove to see Spence Winery, which is the Spences' personal home. The home was absolutely beautiful - a classic american home with a wraparound porch and huge, open kitchen where we enjoyed the Spence 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a beautiful and very drinkable, yet complex Cabernet. Here is a photo of the view from the porch:

How beautiful!

Reluctantly - as the owner had cookies laid out to enjoy with the delectable wine - we headed over to Summit Lake Vineyards. Due to the cold weather setting in (when you're up that high, the sun sets much earlier!), we were greeted by the owners, the Brakesman Family, to head into their home where it was warm. As a great spot to end the day, we enjoyed the estate's wines while telling stories about our experience that day. All of the estate wines were fantastic, but their Zinfandel Port was so amazing, everyone bought a bottle!

We went outside, to see their goats and see the winery (but mostly for the goats!)

This was the perfect ending to a great day - I am so glad I got to learn about the Howell Mountain region, as it is such a hidden gem.

Thank you to all of the wineries, and to the CANV for organizing such a fun day.