2010 Bravante Vineyards Trio Howell Mountain 750 ml

2010 Bravante Vineyard “Trio”: Epic Vintage on Howell Mountain

In December 2012, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate published a 2010 Napa Valley vintage report that all but whisked recessionary storm clouds out to sea. In a piece entitled “2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: An Epic Vintage,” the Advocate wrote:

“The 2010s are magnificent, viscerally thrilling wines loaded with character and personality. To be sure, the 2010s — the product of a long, cold growing season — are going to require a few years in bottle. ... There is no question that 2010 is the greatest vintage for Napa Valley in the 2008-2011 time period.”

Eleven months later, Wine Spectator and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver applied the finishing touch. In a cover story that featured Seaver looking like he could still throw smoke, the Spectator called 2010 “A Classic Vintage for the Cellar.”

The growing season of 2010 was the longest and coolest Napa Valley had ever recorded. Cool summer months prompted many growers on the valley floor to pull leaves. That decision pretty much made or broke wineries when a sudden heat wave blistered the valley in the last week of August and first week of September. Those who practiced patience were rewarded handsomely. As the Giants caught fire in the NLCS, Cabernet Sauvignon was slowly nursed to extraordinary phenolic maturity. Seeds browned, making for supple tannins and sumptuous flavor profiles. The crop size was small. Quality was off the charts.

Based on our July tastings — and not surprisingly given the vintage conditions — Howell Mountain shined brightest of all, turning out a bevy of tiny-production Cabernets and Bordeaux blends of great richness, texture, and structure. Here’s why:

When the fog billows off the ocean, settling over Carneros before making a beeline north, the weather on Howell Mountain is generally sunny and cool. High above the fog line — between 1,400 and 2,000 feet in elevation — daytime highs tend to be the coolest in the valley, even as nights are among the warmest. That smaller diurnal temperature shift often levels out heat spikes, making for a slower, more regular maturation cycle.

Particularly in 2010, this distinct microclimate paid great dividends. From June to August, as nighttime temperatures dipped precipitously on the valley floor, at tiny Bravante Vineyards — 1,600 feet up White Cottage Road — temperatures were a full 10 degrees warmer, keeping the vines from shutting down. Similarly, in late August, as the mercury soared above 100 degrees down below, at CADE, O’Shaughnessy, Bravante, Ladera, and Cimarossa, the Howell Mountain elite shrugged off the heat spike. Temperatures barely topped 90 degrees. Leaf canopies were all intact, small-berry clusters comfortably protected.

If you’re lucky enough to have piled in cases of the top Howell Mountain 2010s on release, don’t be in any hurry to start pulling corks. Almost across the board, these are truly “classic” Cabernets, built for the long haul.

And if you missed out? Buy every case you can stuff in the cellar of George Bravante’s estate-grown and -bottled 2010 Trio — one of the most extraordinary discoveries of our July trip to Napa Valley.

The 2010 Bravante Vineyards Trio is a KNOCKOUT! 14.6% alcohol, a classic Left Bank blend of estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Deep ruby-purple. Beautiful, cool aromatic nose of wild herbs, spice, leather, and dried cherry, with hints of sandalwood and creamy vanilla. Fine, bright, and detailed on the entry, with dried red and dark cherries, wild herb, and underbrush. There is a firm, stony mouthfeel supporting the pure and focused fruit, with ample tannin and acidity to match. Hints of espresso and a warmer dark fruit add bass notes and another level of complexity. Mountain fruit texture and grip, powerful but also elegant and detailed with a long, focused finish that is still nervy, firmly structured and long, but plenty of fruit to carry it off. Drink it now after one hour of decanting. Still better, lay this superb 2010 down until the mid-2020s. It could surely use the rest.

SRP: $56. Just $32/bottle this morning and YES, this is a MUST-CASE-BUY for mountain Cabernet collectors and enthusiasts.