Lot 468
2018 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

$120/bottle under the original label

For Lot 468, we scored shiners of a fabulous 2018 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon straight from the cellar of the highest winery on the mountain. Year after year this series has garnered 92-94 points from top critics, and this very wine with its original label received 94 points from Vinous’ Antonio Galloni.

On the nose, red clay dust and graphite encapsulate a core of red-to-black fruit with exceptional concentration and strong minerality. The entry is deep, with layers of dark fruits, a touch of iron, new leather, and additional graphite framed by deftly balanced acidity and marvelous structure with perfectly integrated tannins. Years in the bottle have just begun to unveil its potential, with a fully formed finish of incredible length and defined complexity. You’re getting this wine as it enters a decades-long drinking window – perfect timing.