Howell Mountain

Opened this and it was ok but very tight.  Checked in on day 2 and it was a bit better but not quite.  Finally on Day 3, this opened up and is drinking well.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, plums and tea along with a bit of spice.  On the palate, this is deep but will need some time to develop.  Still needs a bit more cellaring.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Hold for three to five more and then cellar for a decade or two after that.  This will drink great on its own or work with grilled meats.  Should be some upside.  

Silvery green/gold in color.  The nose has minerals and wax with slight tropical fruit.  On the palate, this is soft with low acidity but still quite refreshing.  The Semillon seems to dominate at this point.  Blind, it drinks like a ripe white Bordeaux.  Peaches and minerals with some waxiness.  Should work with a lot of foods.  It will be interesting to see how this improves, if at all, with some age.  

This is an excellent wine.  A blend of 50% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot with grapes from Atlas Peak and Howell Mountain in Napa Valley.  Consumed over two days, this was better on Day 2.  Purple in color.  On day one, the nose shows black cherries, slight cedar and a clove/bitters quality to it that is very interesting.  On the palate, this is not a big, bold wine.  Rather, there are plenty of concentrated fruits, mostly cherries and black cherries with a slight bitterness (again in a good way) to it.  On Day 2 (re-corked and left on the counter), this wine really open

Outpost wines are made by Thomas Rivers Brown, a sensational winemaker.  They are made up on Howell Mountain from mountain fruit and are very intense yet also generous.  This one is of course young, but delicious.  Consumed over two days, it was just as good on either day if different.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, graphite, blueberries and slight spice.  On the palate, this is concentrated and intense.  Firm tannins.  Cassis and blueberry fruit with some spice.  Really delicious.  On Day 2, some leather notes emerge.  It will take some hearty meat dishes to stand up to it at this