Castiel Estate Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
(Napa Valley, California) - [JD 99] [TWI 97+]

About the Winery:
Inspired by Dave and Kathleen’s desire to capture time and place, Castiel Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a collaboration among nature, patient and caring human hands, and artistic excellence. It speaks clearly of its unique and extraordinary location upon Howell Mountain. It is masterfully brought to life by the talented and renowned winemaker, Celia Welch, whose deep knowledge and understanding of expressing terroir allows each vintage to showcase its unique qualities while maintaining the consistency of Howell Mountain characteristics.

About the Wine:
Since the first vintage in 2014, attention to detail and exacting viticultural practices yield berries of ripe, delicious flavors. The grapes are harvested by hand in several passes resulting in many distinct vinifications from which to create the final blend. At the winery, clusters are gently destemmed and berries are chosen with intent by manual and sophisticated optical sorting methods. During fermentation, the wine is left on the skins until complete, and then pressed and transferred to French oak barrels to age for 18 to 22 months. Castiel Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine structured around the backbone of minerality, concentrated fruit, powerful richness and integrated tannins, the hallmark qualities of a Howell Mountain cabernet.

The 2021 Castiel Cabernet comes entirely from the steep, higher elevation slopes of Howell Mountain AVA, which is perched on the eastern edge of Napa Valley. These vineyards see cooler summertime high temperatures, and slightly temperatures during autumn nights than the valley floor, which leads to a longer hang-time with slightly higher acidity. Over the course of an entire growing season, the small daily differences become profoundly manifested in the flavor and structure of the resulting wine.

Three clones of Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested between September 13 and 24, 
2021. Each lot was vinified individually and kept separate in barrels until after the first year in oak. The wines were blended, then returned to their barrels for an additional eight months prior to bottling in May 2023. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

Appellation: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; clones 15 and 191
Barrel Ageing: 20 months in 70% new French Oak
Soil Composition: Pumiceous and flow tuff and andesite rock
Total Production: 332 cases

99 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Another masterpiece from the talents of Celia Welch, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain comes from a site on Howell Mountain and spent 20 months in new French oak. It's a full-bodied, concentrated, powerful Mountain Cabernet revealing ample smoked black fruits, notes of graphite, tobacco, spicy wood, and bouquet garni, a dense, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a gorgeous overall profile that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age. It will unquestionably have two decades or more of prime drinking. Drink 2023 - 2043." (Dec 2023)

97+ Points - The Wine Independent:
"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon slowly unfurls to reveal evocative scents of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, candied violets, and licorice, followed by hints of mossy tree bark, tar, and cardamom. The full-bodied palate is exquisitely crafted with very fine, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound black fruit and earthy layers, finishing with great length. Drink 2027-2052." - LPB (Jun 2024)