It was Thanksgiving 2004. Prior to dinner I decanted a bottle of the 1995 Dunn Vineyard Howell Mountain, arguably still a child. I planned to serve the wine after dinner with a selection of cheese. The wine spent 3 hours in the decanter soaking up some precious oxygen after its 9 years of bottle slumber. Still brooding and black as night, the wine oozed up an amazing cornucopia of fruit and spice aromatics. Nearly port-like and dense as the monolith from 2001: A Space Oddessy. I would guess the wine had another 20+ years of life. The wine was spectacular and will go down as one of the more memorable wines I've drank.

High atop Howell Mountain, nestled among 150-year-old fir trees, is Dunn Vineyards. Since 1979 the Dunn's have been producing Cabernet Sauvignon. Randy produced approximately 4,000 cases back in 1979 and his production remains at that level. He got it right the first time and he has stuck with it. Prior to starting Dunn Vineyards in 1979, Randy Dunn spent 10 years making wine for Caymus.

Dunn produces two Cabernets, one from Howell Mountain and a Napa bottling. The Howell Mountain is typically denser, yet both share the Dunn style of massively concentrated fruit on an elegant framework. Both reveal amazingly rich black cherry, currant, earth and spice flavors.

2005 Dunn Howell Mountain $78.75

"I don’t know whether it’s me, the vintage character, or whether Randy Dunn and his son have intentionally softened their wines, but these 2005s are more opulent and up-front than previous renditions. Yet, they lack neither concentration nor richness. Those of us who have been cellaring Dunn’s wines for twenty years, waiting for them to reach maturity should be thrilled by this new development. The Howell Mountain is denser and richer with blacker fruits as well as more body. Both are full-bodied, powerful Cabernets very much in keeping with his style. However, the tannins are softer and the wines reveal surprisingly developed aromatics. The 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon should last for 20-25 years. It is a brilliant achievement."