Release Letter ~ Spring 2007

Greetings from Howell Mountain,

Thank you for your continuing support and welcome if you are new to our customer list. It’s that time of the year where we offer our Vineyard Designates. The 2004 Vintage was a short season due to the lower than normal crop load. With the seasonally warm weather, most of the grapes were harvested in September 2004 with the exception of the Howell Mountain Estate and a few blocks of the One Lane Bridge vineyard from Mount Veeder which came in by October 12, 2004. As in previous vintages, each single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is selected from the very best tasting new French oak barrels from the vineyard lot and each is barrel aged 6-7 months longer than the Napa Valley bottling. Those of you familiar with our previous releases will note the absence of Chafen Vineyard. If Mother Nature prevents a vineyard from reaching our quality standards, we won’t force it, further reinforcing the commitment to only bottle the most exceptional wines any given year. Six single vineyard wines made the grade in the 2004 Vintage and the Tasting Notes page will give you a preview of what is in the bottle. Gove and Kelly have done a fantastic job in capturing the unique essence of the fruit grown in these small vineyards selected from some of the best vineyards I manage in Napa Valley.

Once again I am offering the 2004 Mixed 750ml Set, which includes one bottle each of the six single vineyard wines, at $395.00. If you prefer to purchase any individual bottle(s) or make your own set(s) or a case, I am offering individual wines at a price of $75.00 per bottle. Prices are firm to August 15, 2007.

New this year by popular demand, I am also accepting orders for Magnums of the individual Vineyard Designates priced at $175.00 and the Magnum Mixed Set is once again priced at $1,000.00.

This is also your opportunity to purchase our very limited supply of 2004 Fifteen-Forty Petite Syrah, our 2004 Napa Valley Petite Syrah and our last few cases of the 2005 Zinfandel.

If you live in California areas served by our delivery service we will be able to ship you a full case of the 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet or the 2005 Zinfandel during the summer via air-conditioned trucks. Please make a note on your order form and we will attempt to arrange delivery. Otherwise, all orders will ship in November when we have cooler weather. Please contact me if you have any questions and if you are planning a trip to Napa, please call to arrange a visit.

Mark J. Neal

Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Rutherford Dust: This second year of RD combines selected barrels from the RDV 2 (20%) and 3 (80%) vineyards. RDV 2 is between Bella Oaks and Manley Lane in the heart of the valley. RDV 3 is next door to my mom’s home on Mee Lane and where I grew up learning viticulture from my father. Complex aromas of red fruit, toast, earthy (Rutherford Dust), vanilla and yeast. Flavors of cherry, tobacco, spice, create a juicy and soft texture along with an inviting, lingering finish. Harvest 9/9, 205 cases, 14.6% Alc. Cooperage: (All Puncheons) Cadus, Billon, Seguin Moreau. Bottled 2/22/07.

Wykoff (Rutherford): Mixed with the attractive aromas of French oak there is red cherry, cedar, and floral notes. Bright sweet fruit flavors mixed with a spicy, baked cherry pie, violets and toast, finishing with a lingering, mouth-watering texture. Harvest 9/9, 245 cases, 15.1% Alc. Cooperage: Vicard, Seguin Moreau, Cadus, Francois Ferrer, Taransaud. Bottled 2/28/07.

Fifteen-Forty (east Howell Mtn.): This is an intense Cabernet Sauvignon full of black pepper, cinnamon, dried blueberries, cotton candy, cassis and dusty dark fruit. Coating the palette is spicy coffee/toffee candy, cocoa, sweet dark candy, licorice, and blackberry. Very firm and integrated tannin with a long velvety finish. Harvest 9/8-15, 240 cases, 14.4% Alc. Cooperage: Taransaud, Seguin Moreau, Boutes, St. Martin, Vicard. Bottled 3/1/07.

Howell Mountain Estate: Full of toasty, cherry and cassis aromas consistent with our Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage has ripe dark fruit flavors plus tobacco, earthy, chocolate, allspice; a lovely evolved bottle-aged texture, with silky, yet powerful tannins. Harvest 10/2-12, 285 cases, 14.7% Alc. Cooperage: Taransaud, St. Martin, Gamba, Cadus. Bottled 3/22/07.

Second Chance (Atlas Peak): Another wine with classic Cabernet Sauvignon aromas: tea, toast, cassis, red cherry candy. Also coming through in the mouth is chocolate, cherry, coffee, sweet fruit, oak/toast, anise spice, finishing with a long, serious tannin. Harvest 9/14-24, 275 cases, 14.2 % Alc. Cooperage: Seguin Moreau, Taransaud, Cadus, Boutes, Fouquet, St. Martin. Bottled 3/23/07.

One Lane Bridge (Mt. Veeder): A rich, ripe complex nose of fruit and almost Syrah-like fruit: lovely vanilla toast, nutmeg, leathery & berry fruit. This year a very big, broad mouth, with a rich, mouth-coating texture, velvety & firm tannins. Full of very dark cherry fruit, cassis and violets, finishing with well-integrated oak, big tannins and a mouth-watering finish. Harvest 9/9 to 10/12, 235 cases, 14.8% Alc. Cooperage: Gamba, Taransaud, Boutes, Bel Air, Billon, Cadus, Seguin Moreau. Bottled 3/24/07.

Petite Syrah
Napa Valley: 140 cases. Aromas of ripe fruit, dried cherry, cherry syrup, allspice and vanilla. A mouthful of flavors including caramel candy, molasses and cherry candy. This is a lovely wine with a spicy acidity; finishing with earthy, sweet tannin.

Fifteen Forty Vineyard: 22 cases. A delightful and complex aroma of brown sugar, toast, baked blueberry, caramel apple, anise, forest floor, blueberry cobbler, cocoa. This is a full body, intense Petite Syrah with mouth coating texture and soft broad tannins. We pick up flavors of cherry cola, blueberry, cedar, plum and chocolate, then the wine lingers with a very long finish.