2019 Dunn Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) is a powerful, tannic wine. In some vintages, the Napa Valley bottling is quite accessible, but not here. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of dark fruit, gravel, spice, dried flowers, lavender and charred earth are pushed forward, with firm, chocolatey tannins that wrap it all together. This brooding, potent Cabernet needs at least a few years to settle. The 2019 is a bruiser, that is for sure.

Drink 2024 - 2039

It’s a fleshier and flashier vintage for Dunn. The Eagle Summit Vineyard was purchased in 2018, but the fruit wasn’t included until the 2019 vintage. This was the largest production for the winery to date. The wine is beautiful and elegant, with notes of tobacco, white pepper, leather spices, and violet. There’s something distinctly Super Tuscan about the garrigue on the nose—reminiscent of a Tuscan Maremma, with its saline mineral character, salted dark chocolate, and grapefruit zest, all underpinned by incredible grip. The tannins are firm and mineral-laced, delivering remarkable precision.

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced 78% from Howell Mountain and 22% from Coombsville, the wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks with 3-4 daily pump-overs, with partial fermentation in the barrel. It was then aged 32 months in 100% new French oak—a superb wine. The first vintage of Dunn Vineyards produced was the 1979 Howell Mountain Cabernet. Founder Randy Dunn’s son, Mike, joined in 1999. As of 2023, Ted Kizor was named winemaker, working in tandem with the Dunns.

Drink 2024 - 2045

Savoury aromas of mulberries, cassia bark, graphite and leather. The palate is full-bodied with silky smooth tannins and balanced acidity, giving notes of blackcurrants, dried herbs and mocha. Wonderfully integrated and soft, with a serious undertone.

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