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Wine Description
The Story
MAY-BRITT & DENIS MALBEC, formerly of Château Latour, have created the wines of Notre Vin to honor their favorite California terroirs. Nearly a decade of consulting with Napa and Sonoma Valleys' finest wineries has given this team an in-depth understanding of the region's diverse vineyards and microclimates. They have carefully selected vineyards in the Napa Valley, including Howell Mountain, and along the Sonoma Coast that yield grapes of concentration and balance, and they interpret this fruit through a legacy of Bordeaux winemaking experience that spans generations.
Notre Vin, which means “our wine” in French, produces a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Howell Mountain foothills, a Rosé from Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Burgundian-style Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. All wines are crafted in very limited quantities. Our Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are sourced from a few very select vineyards sites on top of the mountain at an altitude of about 1800 feet.
Wine Information
2008 Notre Vin Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the oldest on Howell Mountain, Hughes Vineyard, at an elevation of 1800 feet on the west side, is the home for our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
The 2008 vintage presents a pretty garnet color with purple reflections. On the nose we find enticing berry aromas with dark cherries, blackberry seed and pomegranate along with those typical Howell Mountain scents of fresh walnut, crushed rock, dried herbs and lavender. There are layers of rich cocoa, espresso roast and hints of pencil shavings. The wine is full bodied, plush and intense with great concentration due to extremely low yields in 2008. We discover refined layers of ripe, fine grain tannins with a truly pleasant lingering finish. This is without doubt one of the best wines we have made. It is still young with tremendous potential, and can be enjoyed now as well as cellared for 10-15 years.
