Lokoya Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014  £410.00

Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 2014

Established in 1995, Lokoya is a collection of four distinct Cabernet Sauvignons from four of Napa Valley’s most celebrated mountain appellations: Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain. These limited-production wines are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented with native yeast, and bottled unfined and unfiltered, resulting in the purest expression of place.

Cabernet Sauvignon as lens, site as conveyor—the grape variety and winemaking for the four wines remain consistent, allowing the vineyard sites to shine with the climate, soils and sunlight all fully expressed in the glass.

Given the high elevation of the sites, the vineyards demand constant attention. The deep understanding of the vineyard trajectory in each vintage comes from Winemaker Christopher Carpenter’s years of expertise. Intervention is kept to a minimum both in the vineyard and in the cellar, leaving the fruit to express itself as naturally and eloquently as possible.

At the northeastern side of Napa Valley’s Vaca Range, the Howell Mountain appellation peaks at 2,500 feet. Our estate W.S. Keyes Vineyard was planted in 1888 and has been the exclusive source for the Lokoya Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon since its first vintage in 1995. The vineyard sits at 1,825 feet, high above the fog line, where temperatures are cool but moderate, and Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular, thrives with extra time to ripen. The vines bask in a steady breeze and sunlight, surrounded by a forest of ponderosa pine. Lean, quick-draining soils force the vines to struggle, yielding small grapes that possess deep, concentrated flavour with a signature minerality and earthy undertone.

Rating: 99

Drink Date: 2016 - 2041

Reviewed by Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Source: The Wine Advocate

From the micro-terroir of the W. S. Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is pushing perfection. Its incredibly opaque colour is followed by notes of lead pencil shavings, mulberry, blackberry and dark raspberry fruit, some background oak and minerality, and profound richness in a full-bodied, multi-dimensional style. It is gorgeously ripe, and sexy already, with a lush and voluptuous texture. Drink it over the next 25+ years.

One of the top-of-the-charts, special, rare superstars of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine scene is Lokoya. It’s hard to believe that 2000 was the first vintage for winemaker Chris Carpenter working at Lokoya. He has had a succession of world-class, truly magnificent wines from different mountain sites in Napa. There are four cuvées from Lokoya in 2014, representing four separate mountain sites – Diamond Mountain in the northwest, Spring Mountain behind the town of St. Helena, Howell Mountain on the eastside in the Vaca Mountains, and Mt. Veeder southwest of Oakville. Production of these wines ranges from a low of 509 cases for the Spring Mountain to 1,460 for the Mt. Veeder. They’re expensive, but generally in line with what you would expect to pay for a great first-growth from Bordeaux, which is where they compete qualitatively. These wines are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and are aged in 89 to 100% new French oak prior to being bottled unfiltered. The 2014s have put on weight and that’s reflected in just how great they have turned out. In addition, their silky tannins and soft, sumptuous, up-front style will be immediately appealing to serious consumers.

*Product excluded from further discounts