We started the day with the long trip up to the top of Howell Mountain. We were greeted by Mike and Terry Lamborn at their beautiful vineyards and house overlooking Pope Valley. If you haven’t made the trip up I highly recommend it. We tasted outside and took in the great weather and view. The Lamborns are some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet and their history on Howell mountain is a great story. This is a family operation and it’s reflected in everything they do. Now for the wines:
06 Zinfandel- I blew through the 6 I bought last year. I really liked them then and it’s developed nicely. Like last year when we tasted it I thought this was a wine to have with food to bring some of the additional complexity out in the wine.It’s got some nice weight to it and I’d happily serve with a wide variety of food. Good
07 Zinfandel- to be released first part of November. The 25th anniversary vintage “Yee Haw”. That’s exactly what we said when we tasted it. Our group let out a collective wow and had smiles all around. The black fruit is much more evident in this wine. The alcohol tops out at 15% but you would never know it. Lush mouthfeel with great weight. Very good to great. Bought a case.
05 Howell Mountain Cab- This is coming along nicely. I think this has the stuffing to go 10+ and I won’t be drinking mine till at least the 7year mark. Still tight. The fruit is peaking out behind the tannins to give a glimpse of what’s coming. Good to very good with potentail.
06 Howell- Just as the release said this is much more approachable and is meant to be drunk in the next 3 years. Velvety black berry and cherry. Nice mouthfeel with a slight mineral edge. Good to very good.
Took a quick 5 min drive down to Robert Foley Winery to meet Kelly and taste Switchback. What a beautiful piece of property. The winery looks like it was designed to blend into the overall landscape and is really something to see. Especially the caves !
We tasted outside on the patio in perfect weather. I’m new to the list and have heard great things about Kelly and Switchback. We’ll, it’s all true.
07 Merlot- Another wow and round of smiles. Best merlot I’ve ever had. It literally was like taking a bite of chocolate fineshed with black cherry and a touch of coffee. Lush mouthfeel and fine tannins. The wine really is ready to drink.Very good to OMG.
07 Cab- I really liked the cab. I think it has a bit more going on in terms of complexity but will need some time to develop the mouthfeel and lushness that the merlot already has. Very good to great.
07 Petite- Wonderful wine. Huge and black. Mouthcoating with heavy tannins and hugely concentrated. We paired it with some cheese at Kelly’s suggestion and it really help round out the tannins and create a finer mouthfeel. Loved it. Very good to great. Either wait on this wine or pair it with a fatty rib eye or cheese course.
Kelly was kind enough to take us on a tour of the caves. We ran into the man himself and chatted about wine, music and a bit on his 07’s. Bob has got a beautiful winery on Howell and the caves are incredible. We did 2 quick barrel sampes with Kelly. The 08 Merlot is coming along nicely and following the SR style.
08 Old Vine PS- Wow, wow, OMG. A huge PS that already is silky and fine. Kelly is not sure where it will end up so keep your eyes and ears open. What a great visit. Thanks Kelly !
Trespass- Don gets a lot of reviews on the boards and all well deserved. I usually make sure we leave about 2 hours for a visit but we ran a bit short since the SR visit went longer than expected.
We tasted a bunch and I took no notes so here goes
06 Franc- in nice shape. I really like the 06. good to vg
06 Rdvx- same for this one. both had great red fruit profiles with a bit of chocolate on the end. Structure and acidity were real nice. good to vg
06 Audition cab- we really liked this. You could really sense the gentle style in which this was made. My favorite cab Don’s ever done(until I tasted the 07 but not fair to compare). Very elegant and ready to drink right now. Not one to sit on for 5 years. Made by Donnie’s son. very good
We then tasted the 07’s. In general and in our group’s opinion they are the best wines Don’s made. From the Zin to the Franc. The Franc reminded me of the 04 for it’s lush fruit but had more body and better mouthfeel. It was the total package. The zin was lush and wonderful. All in all the 07’s were great. Wonder what he’s going to call that mystery wine ??