Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Napa 2019

As far as reputation is concerned, Randy Dunn couldn’t possibly be viewed any more favorably. He is a true legend and pioneer and is seen as such by his fellow winemakers and wine critics alike.

The trailblazer has been making his mark in the Valley ever since he first started making wine at Caymus in 1975. He did the unthinkable in 1979 when he left one of the cushiest jobs in the business to pitch a tent atop Howell mountain and try something new. Howell Mountain was “Napa’s viticultural Siberia” at that time. Most thought he had lost it.

But Randy eventually perfected the cool-weather Mountain Cabernet fruit and began sculpting wines with unmistakable precision and a distinct ageability. These are not big fruit bombs — rather they are elegant, densely fruited, and pure works of art that absolutely thrill wine collectors for decades and decades and decades on end.

Though Randy is no longer handling the winemaking (his son Mike has the honors), he still calls the pick date. He walks the rows of vines with son, periodically touching the fruit, picking some berries, tasting them, and inspecting them until it’s precisely the right time.

Both Mike and Randy will surely not want to credit a wine as being their “best ever” this early, but it’s hard to argue with the results so far. Sure, 98 and 99 points aren’t new to the duo, but a wine with the most rave 98-point review, coupled with Wine Spectator’s #6 Wine of 2023 honors, starts to paint a picture that this exceptional flagship bottling is even in more rarified air with the 2019 release.