1995 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
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Tasting notes
Very dark, saturated red-ruby with a touch of paleness at the rim. Musky black fruits, licorice, leather and game on the nose, plus an herbal element; a bit more funky than some of the preceding vintages, Silky, rich and deep on the palate; more pliant than the 1994 but not as pristine, with its cassis and blackberry fruit flavors joined by spices, minerals and a slightly rustic quality. Finishes with serious tooth-drying tannins and terrific structure. I have a feeling that a bottle with a perfect cork would merit a higher score. (13% alcohol)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(13.0% alcohol): Dark red-ruby. Sauvage nose combines dark berries, licorice, mushroom, compost, mocha and minerals. A wine of superb intensity and energy, even if it lacks the flesh of the best vintages here. Not a particularly sweet style, in part due to the wine's penetrating acidity. Finishes a bit dry, with big tannins and a lingering leathery quality. This wine struck me as even tighter than the 2004 Howell Mountain bottle I tasted a year ago.
A huge, tannic wine, the 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is the first wine in this tasting that is nowhere near close to deliver maximum pleasure. Layers of dark red/blackish fruit supported by firm, incisive tannin hit the palate in an explosive, full-bodied Cabernet built for the cellar. The 1995 is a beauty, but readers need to be very, very patient.
Sadly, our bottle of Dunn’s 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain was corked.