Pulled a bottle of 1987 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon for date night and paired it with steak frites. Slow ox while we cooked.
Right out of the gate, it showed all the hallmarks of mature mountain cab: truffle, old leather, dried tobacco and cigar box. Classic and earthy. After about an hour or so a core of brandied cherry and dried dark fruit came through.
Tannins are fully resolved but still give shape, and there’s a surprising amount of acidity to balance. No signs of fading—this bottle still has plenty of life left but I would drink up.
95 pts.
by No-Disaster9807
7 Comments
There’s also this kind of fun jalapeño note coming through. Fucking awesome
Nice! This is one of the birth year wines I’m considering for my 40th so glad to hear it’s still showing well
Randy knows what he’s doing up on Howell.
I have a couple ‘86 Napa mags that I’ll be popping over the next couple of years. Super excited to try it.
Had this exact bottle (also a birth year wine) and it was incredible. 10/10 would drink again.
Am I looking at a 375ml or is that a REALLY big glass? The wine sounds fantastic.
Three decades is about what it takes for those tannins to soften up a bit!