napa wine tasting

Review | Taste of Howell Mountain 2011
Charles Krug Carriage house

Taste of Howell Mountain 2011, at the Charles Krug winery

There comes a time in every wine drinkers “career” that they experience wine at a whole new level.  The experience is not a singularity, and the wine lover will begin a new journey in search of repeat adventures on this new plateau.   For me, The Taste of Howell Mountain was one of these events.

The Taste of Howell Mountain was held on June 18th in the carriage house and on the stunningly beautiful and lush grounds of the Charles Krug winery in St. Helena, Napa Valley.  The Charles Krug Winery’s 850 acre estate surrounded the grove of massive oak trees which provided much needed shade.

Charles Krug winery

View from the balcony

Guests paid $125 a ticket to attend the event to raise money for the Howell Mountain elementary school.  There were silent auction items, and even a pinata worth about $400 in wine prizes.  But the real money raiser was the live auction which got underway at 3pm in the grand ballroom upstairs in the carriage house.  Randy Dunn Vineyards had two stunning lots up for auction: a 27 year vertical of 750ml bottles and a 19 year vertical of magnums, both from his Howell Mountain Estate.

In all, 32 Howell Mountain Wineries were pouring including Outpost, O’Shaughnessy, Robert Craig, Robert Foley, Black Sears, Lamborn and Cade.

Outpost winery

Outpost Winery

I experienced a taste overload shortly after visiting my first table, Outpost.  They were pouring  2008 Howell Mountain Grenache, Zinfandel and Cabernet.  All three were absolutely outstanding and are sold out!

One of the things I noticed about a lot of the wines I was drinking was how incredibly rare they were.  Most producers produced less than 1,000 cases of the wines they were offering.  Many producers produce less than 500 cases.  These wines are simply not available in most specialty wine shops let alone a grocery store.  Most are sold exclusively through mailing lists and prices start at around $75 a bottle

carriage house charles krug

The live auction

In addition, the Howell Mountain AVA is quite remote and private.  Most of the vineyards are not open to the public and tastings if done at all, are by appointment only.

Over a wine lovers lifetime they will experience many pivotal moments in wine.  For me a recent moment was ’83 Chateau d’Yquem.  The taste of Howell Mountain was not unlike that life changing event.  Simply amazing wines, beautiful setting, and to benefit children?  It couldn’t have been a better day

Check out my Facebook Page for more photos of the event!

Taste of Howell Mountain 2011 | June 18th | St. Helena
Napa wine tastingTaste of Howell Mountain 2011
I will be attending the Taste of Howell Mountain 2011 this year as a guest of the Howell Mountain Vintners and Growers Association.  I just received the press release on the event and have posted it below.  I will be posting a review of the event and will be tweeting live from the event. Follow The Weekly Wine Journal on Twitter for live updates
Angwin, CA – HMVGA President Frank Dotzler of Outpost Winery announced today that a special consumer wine tasting, Taste of Howell Mountain, will be held in conjunction with a charity silent and live auction on Saturday, June 18th at the Charles Krug Winery, 2800 Main St. in St. Helena.  Currently available  wines will be showcased by 32 wineries who are members of the association.

Aside from being the first sub-appellation within Napa Valley to be officially recognized by the federal government, Howell Mountain is also one of the most exclusive and sometimes elusive of appellations.  Production from primarily family-owned wineries is quite small, though of notoriously high quality, and the wines are sometimes hard to find on store shelves.  That circumstance renders this once-a-year only consumer tasting even more special as guests will be able to sample current release wines from nearly all the mountain’s producers.

During the wine tasting from noon to 5 pm, there will also be a silent auction of dozens of wines and other interesting items for bid from noon to 3 pm.  This will be followed by a live auction upstairs in the Carriage House at 3 pm.  The live auction includes a line-up of 29 auction lots featuring many “wine lifestyle events” such as weekends in wine country and special, private events at member wineries, an fly fishing trip at Mammoth Lake, not one but two library vertical collections from Randy Dunn going back to 1982, a great farmer’s-market-to-table Julia/Julie day for foodies, large format wine bottles, etc.

Short List of Auction Items

Proceeds from both the silent and live auction go to the Howell Mountain Education Foundation which benefits the Howell Mountain Elementary School in Angwin where the student population has doubled in recent years.  A major renovation of this tiny school founded in 1886 was completed three years ago, only to find that enrollment filled the new school to overflowing!

Now in its 15th year, the Taste of Howell Mountain will be held in the newly remodeled historic Carriage House at the Charles Krug Winery hosted by the Peter Mondavi family.    With its sweeping lawn and gracious Carriage House building, it is a natural and enjoyable setting for this casual event which includes gourmet appetizers as well as an amazing slate of wines.  This year’s theme is Fiesta! and it promises to carry on the tradition of casual elegance, great wine, and good company.

A full list of the wineries pouring is below.  Tickets are $125 per person and are available now online at www.howellmountain.org or you can order by phone at 707-965-2665.

Wineries Pouring at 2011 Taste of Howell Mountain

Arkenstone Vienyards Black Sears Blue Hall Vineyard Beringer Wine Estate

Bremer Family Winery Cade Winery Charles Krug Winery Cimarossa Vineyards

Cornerstone Cellars D-Cubed Duckhorn Vineyards Dunn Vineyards

Haber Vineyards Highlands Winery Howell at the Moon La Jota Winery

Lamborn Family Vineyards Notre Vin Winery O’Shaughnessy Winery

Outpost Winery Pina Napa Valley Red Cap Vineyards Retro Cellars

Robert Craig Wine Robert Foley Vineyards Roberts + Rogers

Rutherford Grove Spence\ St. Clement Winery

Summit Lake Vineyards & Winery W.H. Smith Wines

White Cottage Ranch Winery

Taste of Howell Mountain 2011 | Auction catalog

This is a short list of the items up for auction at the Taste of Howell Mountain 2011.  Tickets to the event are $125, and can be purchased at www.howellmountain.org or by calling 707 965 2665

1 – Spend the day with La Jota winemaker, Chris Carpenter.  Tasting of La Jota’s wines with Chris and he will select 12 bottles for you to take home.  Dinner with Chris at a premier Napa restaurant with a show at one of Napa’s musical venues to wrap up the evening.  Take home a magnum of 2007 La Jota HM Cabernet tonight.  For 4 people.

2 – Two days and two nights of guided fly fishing at Mammoth Lakes, accommodations provided.  Includes a case of Black Sears wine.  For 4 people.

3 – 3 magnums from Araujo, Bressler, & Cain. From HL Vineyards, a 750 ml, 1.5L, and 3L.

4 – Private tour & tasting at St. Clement Winery with winemaker Danielle Cyrot, includes a magnum of Oroppas.  Then, go up Howell Mountain for a “learn to blend” experience at Bremer Family Vineyards.  For 8 people.

5 – Lunch, an ATV ride and a vertical tasting at Cimarossa Vineyards with owner, Dino Dina.  Also, a vertical of 3 magnums from O’Shaughnessy signed by winemaker Sean Capiaux.  For 4 people.

 6 – Dinner with Marc & Janice Mondavi at their home on Howell Mountain with wines from Charles Krug and Rocky Ridge.  Includes a magnum of Krug to take home tonight.  For 8 people.

7 – Three 3 litre bottles of HM Cabernet Sauvignon – Notre Vin, Robert Foley, & Robert Craig.

8 – Robert Craig vertical – 10 bottles of Howell Mountain Cabernet from 1999-2008.  Lunch or dinner for 2 people at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant in the Culinary Institute in St. Helena.

9 – Hands-on cooking class and luncheon at Spence.  Start at the Farmer’s market with Jackie Spence (Spence Vineyards) and Kara Dunn (Retro Cellars) and choose your ingredients.  Go back to Spence for a cooking lesson followed by lunch with wines from Spence, Dunn, and Retro.  Take home tonight a library magnum of Spence HM Cabernet and 3 750ml bottles of Beringer Steinhauser Ranch HM Cabernet.  For 8 people.

10 – Tour at Arkenstone, then a picnic at Blue Hall Vineyards and vertical tasting with the winemaker.  Take home tonight a (three-year vertical ’06 ’07 ’08 of Arkenstone Obsidian magnums and three 750ml bottles of ’08 Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc.  For 4 people

11 – Steak dinner with the 4 Pina brothers in the Pina Napa Valley cellars. Take home tonight one magnum of 2007 Pina Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn. Buckeye Vineyard.  For 8 people

 12 – Lunch and golf at Meadowood.  Private tour & tasting at White cottage Ranch.  Take home tonight from White Cottage – three 750ml bottles, a 3L and a 6L – all HM Cabernet.  For 2 people.

13 – 25 bottles of library wines from Randy Dunn.  1982 through 2007 – all Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

14 – Picnic lunch and tour at W. H. Smith with WH Smith wines.  For 10 people

 15 – 4 wheeling adventure with the Dunn Family to their special place in the Howell Mountain back country for a Mexican picnic and killer margaritas.  Take home tonight 6 bottles (750 ml) from Retro Cellars (Petite Syrah) and a magnum of Dunn (2006), HM Cabernet Sauvignon.  For 6 people.

 16 – Argentinian BBQ for 20 at Red Cap Vineyards.  Multiple winner lot.  Each ticket is $200 – bid on one or more.  Dinner with winemaker Tom Altemus.  Taste his brand new HM Sauvignon Blanc.  Will occur on Saturday, August 20, 2011.

17 – Two 6L bottles from Duckhorn – 1996 Merlot & 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

18 – Lunch at Redd in Yountville and a tasting at Cornerstone Cellars featuring 5 pre-2000 vintages.  For 4 people.  Take home tonight a 3L of 2005 Cornerstone HM Cabernet.

 19 – A table for 8 at Summit Lake’s annual pig roast.  Winner takes home tonight a full, mixed case of Summit Lake wines.

20 – Three 750’s (Diamond Terrace).  Two magnums (D-Cubed & Del Dotto + cave tour). One 3L (D-Cubed).  One 5L (Dunn Vineyards).

 21 – Tour & picnic for 6 at Lamborn Family Vineyards & a giclee painting of Napa Valley by famed winemaker Heidi Barrett.  Also includes a 3L of Lamborn HM Cabernet & a magnum of Heidi’s La Sirena Santa Ynez Syrah.

22 – One 6L (Shafer Merlot) and six magnums (Abreu, Carver Sutro, Dalle Valle, Gemstone, Jones, & Turley)

 23 – A picnic in the vineyards for 4 at Rutherford Grove Winery plus 8 bottles (750 ml) from Rutherford Grove, Black Sears & Atlas Peak, a magnum from Rutherford Grove, and a 3L from Highlands.

 24 – Dinner for 6 in San Francisco at Up Country restaurant with wines from Cakebread and Howell at the Moon (owner Marc Cohen also owns Up Country restaurant).

25 – 18 magnums from Randy Dunn.  1989 through 2007 of HM Cabernet Sauvignon.

26

 Part A – Wine, Dine, & Dance at Outpost Winery.  Multiple winner lot.  30 seats available at $200 each.    Will occur on Saturday, September 10, 2011.  A wonderful evening of food by Richard Haake and wines by Thomas Rivers Brown.

Part B – One couple can bid on staying at the winery the weekend of the dinner.  Includes 2 night’s accommodations in the winery guest house, a harvest experience, a private tour & tasting, lunch prepared by the evening’s chef and four 3L bottles from Outpost.

27 – Lunch and wine for 4 at Beringer’s Hudson House.  Take home tonight a 3L bottle of Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

28 – Limousine and private picnic lunch at Chappellet meadow overlooking Lake Hennessey.  Vineyard tour and private tasting.  Limousine service to dinner at any of Cindy Pawlcyn’s restaurants in St. Helena (Go Fish, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, or Mustard’s) paired with Chapellet wine.  One night’s accommodation at Hotel Yountville.  For 2 people.

29 – Squaw Valley 2-night stay for 2 people with wine from CADE.  Includes wine with dinner at the Plumpjack Café Squaw Valley.  Additionally, winner is invited to a complimentary tour & tasting at Plumpjack in Oakville and CADE Winery on Howell Mountain.  Take home a 6L of CADE HM Cabernet Sauvignon.