This packs in some serious plum compote and cassis flavors, liberally wrapped in dark licorice and finishing with a swath of sweet toast and tobacco on the broad finish. Nice mineral underpinning keeps it honest. Fairly accessible despite its heft. Drink now through 2034.\n Producer Information\n Hall Wines is a wine producer located in St Helena, in California's Napa Valley. It specializes in wines made from the Bordeaux varieties, and in particular Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The estate was founded by Katheryn Walt Hall and her husband Craig after she inherited vineyards from her father – a grapegrower in the region. Around half of Hall's wines come from around 300 acres (120 hectares) of estate vineyards in St Helena, while the rest comes from a number of grower vineyards throughout Rutherford, St Helena, Atlas Peak and the Alexander Valley. Grapes are handpicked block by block in each vineyard, with individual plots depending on soil type and terroir. The majority of the red grapes are then taken to the Hall winery in Rutherford, whereas the Sauvignon Blanc grapes and the fruit for the Napa Valley Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines are taken to the winery in St Helena for vinification. An early proponent of sustainable agriculture, Hall's Bergfeld Winery in St Helena was California’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified winery in 2013. Hall uses both natural and select-strain yeasts for fermentation. Some of the wines go through malolactic fermentation in small French oak barrels before being racked into larger French oak barrels for aging. The wines are also aged in bottle for a time before release – it is this long aging period that is typical of the Hall style. The Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from the Artisan Collection is perhaps the wine that Hall is best known for. It is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from the Howell Mountain AVA in Napa. It is aged for 22 months in 75 percent new French oak. The Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 was awarded 98 points from wine critic, Robert Parker – one of numerous wines from the winery given a score in the 90s by Parker and former fellow reviewer Antonio Gallioni since former diplomat and housing entrepreneur Kathryn Hall took control of the winery in 2001.
