2005 Duckhorn Vineyards Howell Mountain Red Wine
Sold Out
The unique climate and soils on Howell Mountain are the key to the appellation’s success in producing powerful, age-worthy wines. Duckhorn Vineyards has sourced grapes from this distinctive region for more than a quarter century and has crafted a Howell Mountain bottling since 1989. Over the years, we have increased our commitment to this appellation with the purchase of two spectacular vineyards, Candlestick Ridge (28 acres) and Stout Ranch (36 acres). To encourage further complexity, we bottle-age this wine a year longer than our other wines prior to release. As a result, our Howell Mountain blend characteristically offers excellent structure and deep color. This wine is suitable for long-term cellaring.
Connoisseurs' Guide
92
Wine Profile
Production Notes
Varietal Content: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot; Cooperage: 100% French oak château-style barrels (60 Gallons); Age of Barrels: 95% New, 5% Second Vintage
Winemaker Notes
The blend focuses on fruit from our two Howell Mountain Estate vineyards-Stout and Candlestick Ridge-yielding a wine with exceptional structure and extracted aromatics of peppermint, chocolate, bramble, cedar, soy and ginger spice. On the palate, it is lush and mouth-filling, highlighting Howell Mountain’s signature wild berry and currant flavors, alongside notes of toasted marshmallow, espresso, earth, sage and sandalwood.
Production
The 2005 season began with a wet winter and spring, which led to annual rainfall totals that were well above average. We had an ideal fruit set, which produced an abundant number of full grape clusters. As a result, the vintage yielded exceptional fruit for the season. The harvest lasted over two months—into the early days of November. In many ways the 2005 season was reminiscent of the excellent 1997 vintage, which offered an abundant harvest of remarkable quality.
Other Notes
Released: September 2009
Wine Specs
Wine Specs
Vintage
2005
Varietal
Red Blend
Appellation
Howell Mountain
Harvest Date
September 14 - October 25, 2005
Sugar
27.7° Brix
Acid
0.53 g/100ml titratable acidity
pH
3.61
Aging
20 Months in Barrel
Bottling Date
July 2007
Alcohol %
14.5
Connoisseurs' Guide
92
