|
|
Member Reviews:
 Never Disappointed
I have enjoyed several vintage years of this wonderful cab. I have never been disappointed. The tannins are subdued, flavor smooth and enjoyable.
-- Thomas from Wynwood, WV
Hoping for a superstar
The 2006 Ladera was my "go to" wine for special occasions this year. It started with a Ground Breaking ceremony in Shanghai... where thanks to our local Napa importer, I was able to buy a case for this gala event. It was a huge hit. Our Chinese (and Western) guests were more than impressed. Then for a special dinner at home...12 people demolished 4 bottles thanks to my purchase from Wine Access (silly me, I thought the 6 bottles I bought would last a while). When the '07 came up... I had to buy a full case of it. I am hoping that with some cellaring it too will make all my guests smile over the coming years.
-- Johnathan from New City, NY
 Excellent Wine
Surprisingly smooth with a good long finish
-- Peter from Bohemia, NY
4 1/2 Stars!
Ladera's Howell Mt. Cabs are solid year after year. Fortunately, I ordered enough of this one that it has become one of our regular "go-tos". Great fruit, solid tannins, just a beautiful bottle to look forward to.
-- Edward from Long Lake, MN
|
|
93+ Big Bottles and Just a Little Patience
Here we go again. Last week, we wasted over 600 words on just 420 bottles that disappeared in a little over 120 minutes. Many were shut out. For that, we apologize. Now it's time for the 93+ Big Bottle makeup.
Few vintages in the last couple of decades wowed Parker and Wine Spectator as did the extravagant growing season of 2007. Up and down the Silverado Trail, wineries turned out deeply concentrated, voluptuous Cabernets, filled with blackberry jam, cloaked in crème-de-cassis. But if the valley floor wines were monumental -- particularly those drawn off the rocky substrata of St. Helena and Oakville -- it would be the mountain appellations that shined brightest, none more so than the fine volcanic soils of Howell Mountain.
There was just one problem with the top 2007s from the greatest addresses on Howell -- the rapidity with which buyers consumed them. That long, drawn out Indian summer ripened seeds as they rarely do up here, providing for wines that weren't only immensely concentrated out of the gate, but would become unusually approachable after just a couple years in bottle. Even up here, at Pat Stotesbery's Ladera -- which shares center stage on the mountain with Dunn, O'Shaughnessy, Cade and Outpost -- where Karen Culler has fashioned a bevy of powerful, sternly structured Howell Mountain Cabernets over the last decade, Culler's 2007 was rich, powerful, sleekly structured, and built for the long haul.
We offered the 2007 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon six months ago. In the story that spoke of Stotesbery's viticultural resolve and Culler's deft cellar touch, we suggested that buyers practice patience. While we were careful to describe the intriguing crushed black fruit aromas and the astounding small berry core of blackberry and ripe currants, we gave equal time to this monumental release's age-worthy structure. Parker suggested laying this one down for two decades. We weren't about to debate the point.
We shouldn't have wasted our time. Based on the ratings (average of 4.31 stars out of 5) and the bevy of rave member reviews, Culler's masterpiece was a hit. But, just as we imagined, after tasting one bottle, few had the patience to lay the rest down!
Today, the impatient get a reprieve -- as do those of you who missed out on that first salvo (another example of too many words and not enough wine!). For a few short hours this afternoon, you can lay your mitts on one of the greatest Howell Mountain Cabernets of 2007 in Big Bottles -- at a most special WineAccess makeup price.
The last 240 Magnums of the 2007 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon are up for grabs. Parker rated it 93+ points, suggesting it would still be going strong some time in 2033 -- and that was out of 750ml bottles!
|
|
Tasting Notes
2007 Ladera Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (in magnum)
"The most expensive offering is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. A classic Howell Mountain wine, it is tannic and backward with blueberry, blackberry and floral notes intermixed with lots of minerality as well as a boatload of tannin. This is a long-term wine so forget it for 3-4 years and drink it over the following two decades."
93+ points -- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
|
|
*Important Shipping Information
|
|
By law, wine may ONLY be shipped to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
Cart