The 2013 Howell Mountain is wonderfully savory, intense and mineral-driven, with big but polished tannins and exceptional overall balance. Bold and deeply sketched, the 2013 is loaded with potential. The 2013 is unusually nuanced for such a big, structured wine. Today, the 2013 is a touch less expressive than it was last year, but it is early days for this wine. Very early days. In 2013, the blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 12% Petit Verdot, 12%Merlot and 7% Malbec.

Abreu is now calling his vineyard on Howell Mountain (a tract of 33 acres with 15 planted) Las Posadas, after the road high on the mountain that seems to be the Fifth Avenue of Howell Mountain vineyard sites. The 2013 Las Posadas Proprietary Red was unreal from barrel, and that extraordinary Midas touch exhibited by Grimes and Abreu has extended to this wine out of bottle, which is a showcase for Howell Mountain and the meticulous viticulture and winemaking of Abreu and Grimes. Inky purple to the rim, with an extraordinary nose of sweet mulberry, intense graphite, scorched earth, smoldering wood charcoal, and massive blackberry and cassis fruit, this intriguing and provocative wine also throws in hints of licorice and black truffle. It is extremely rich, full-bodied, and nearly an out-of-body experience. Look for it to improve in age for 40 to 50 years. I can see consumers opening it circa 2065 to 2075 and saying, “Wow – what a great vintage this must have been!”