Heitz Cellar Ink Grade Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
(Napa Valley, California) - [JS 96] [WA 94+] [WE 93] [WS 93] [DM 93]

About the Vineyard:
The Ink Grade Estate Vineyard claims a view unbeknownst to most in the Napa Valley, lying in the northeast corner of the Howell Mountain AVA. Terraced throughout due to the extreme slopes, this mountainside vineyard clings to volcanic “tufa” soils. Ink Grade Estate possesses a raw tension that renders fruit of immense intensity and depth. If ever there was a site that imparted a feeling of reverence, Ink Grade is such a place.

A Grand Cru of Howell Mountain:
This wine is crafted from Ink Grade's highest elevation parcels. Vines are hand-selected, utilizing gentle processing techniques throughout fermentation, employing less new oak and larger aging vessels to maintain and express the purity and pedigree of this vineyard. The resulting wine is profound and possesses tension while remaining fresh and bright. A distinctive artifact of place, Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon is truly a grand cru of Howell Mountain.

2019 Vintage Insights:
“The 2019 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon carries the flinty graphite signature of this special terroir, highlighting the vibrant red fruit character, while showcasing notes of cedar and spices. The luscious texture of this vintage was achieved by utilizing large aging vessels during the elevage process, resulting in a beautifully balanced Cabernet Sauvignon with great aging potential.” — Master Sommelier and Managing Partner Carlton McCoy Jr., May 2022

AVA: Howell Mountain
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Aging: 9 months in oak tank, followed by 24 months in barrel (90%) and foudre (10%)
Harvest Dates: 9/16/19 – 9/25/19
Alcohol: 13%
Vineyard Blocks: Third Circle
Production: 1,800 cases

Ratings & Reviews:

96 Points - James Suckling:
"Intense aromas of currants, red berries, pine cones, conifer and ash. Medium to full body with mountain tannins that are fresh and vivid. So much red currant fruit at the end. Forest fruits, too. Gentle and caressing. Drink or hold."

94+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Sappy pine and herbal notes accent blueberries and cherries on the nose of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, the best vintage of this wine I've tasted. It's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, velvety mouthfeel that's deftly balanced by bright acids on the long, tart finish. Streamlined and tannic, this will require patience, but it should blossom into silky radiance given a decade or so of cellaring."

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Fresh aromas and flavors of just picked cherries and blackberries join bay laurel, dusty earth, cedar and graphite for structured and upright Cabernet. Tannins spread across the palate with taut mountain character that remains approachable in its seriousness. An example of the power, brooding character and distinctiveness of its Howell Mountain origins."

93 Points - Decanter:
"Tasted with Lawrence Wine Estates CEO Carlton McCoy, MS, at the Ink Grade tasting room off Highway 29 in St. Helena. McCoy tells me he suggested to winemaker Matt Taylor that he 'treat it like Barolo'. This wine has power and the pine resin notes that come from a longer ageing, which explains the slightly faded colour and polish. It's an exciting wine boasting ravishing dark fruit aromatics, pine forest, and ironstone. The medium-bodied palate marries fine-boned acidity with a depth of fruit flavours that call to mind macerated bing cherry, blackberry, and liquorice framed by sappy tannins, finishing with a kiss of wild herbs. Drinking Window: 2023-2035." -Jonathan Cristaldi (Feb 2023)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A fresh, sleek and slightly high-pitched style, with damson plum, bitter cherry and red currant coulis notes framed by singed savory and dried rose petal hints. This moves along with focus and pinpoint acidity before a long twang of iron asserts itself on the finish. Atypical for Howell Mountain but distinctive. Best from 2025 through 2036."