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Hello Mountain Wine Club!
The September Mountain Wine Club shipment is an exploration of some of Napa’s finest mountain AVAs. These wines don’t just come from elevated vineyards, they rise above in every sense, each earning an impressive 97 points and offering a truly memorable tasting experience.
High above the Napa Valley floor, Mt. Brave Vineyard sits between 1,400 and 1,800 feet on the steep, western slopes of Mt. Veeder. This land has a story to tell, originally acquired in 1841 and first planted in the 1860s, it’s a vineyard steeped in legacy, where the vines grow with both hardship and resilience. Above the fog line, this site benefits from long, sun-filled days and cool mountain air that extends the growing season well into November. The result? Slow, even ripening that intensifies flavor and preserves natural acidity. The rocky, low-nutrient soils push the vines to their limits, producing small, thick-skinned berries with tremendous concentration and structure. The 2022 Mt. Brave Cabernet is a bold, beautifully balanced wine that captures the essence of Mt. Veeder, powerful tannins, deep black fruit, and a refined mountain minerality that lingers on the palate. It’s a wine of place, and one that rewards both immediate enjoyment and cellar aging.
On the opposite side of the valley lies Howell Mountain, Napa’s eastern highlands, where volcanic soils and elevations between 1,400 and 2,500 feet create a dramatic contrast in style and structure. La Jota Vineyard brings a velvety expression of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, offering depth and finesse without sacrificing power. The 2022 vintage is artfully enhanced with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, adding complexity, aromatic lift, and a supple mouthfeel. The palate is structured with broad tannins that carry through to a long, balanced finish.
Each of these wines offers a unique window into Napa’s high-elevation vineyards, shaped by soil, sun, and fog. Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain are two of the most distinctive appellations in the region, and in 2022, they produced wines of exceptional character. We’re proud to present these dual 97-point Cabernets to you, wines that not only reflect the unique traits of their mountain origins, but also the care and craftsmanship that brought them to life. Whether you choose to enjoy them now or lay them down for future celebrations, we hope they bring you as much joy as they brought us in selecting them.
Peace,
Chris Carpenter
“A sleek and polished wine that's deceptively full-bodied and firmly tannic. So well balanced, silky and rich in blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherry flavors, with notes of dried blueberries, spearmint and cocoa. Contains 6% collectively of cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot and malbec blended in for complexity. Drink or hold.”
Jim Gordon, JamesSuckling.com, December 2024
“Winemaker Chris Carpenter used native yeasts to produce a robust wine with a compact black-fruited profile, deep concentration and extremely powerful, fine-grained tannins. It shows the ripe, pure-fruit richness of the 2022 vintage balanced by the tension of higher-elevation, mountain-grown grapes.”
Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter, May 2024
