2019 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2019 Mt. Veeder is our second effort from this estate vineyard in the southeastern corner of the AVA and is another fantastic wine that succeeds in capturing the personality of both the vintage and the vineyard. Plum skins, graphite, black peppercorns and roasted meat are all present on the nose and continue on to the  palate. As the wine opens, it’s vitality and finesse reveal themselves in glass with a lively core of mixed berries, dried lavender and dark chocolate balanced by a sturdy structure of fine grained tannins that will compliment a hearty meal of your favorite cuisine. As with most young mountain Cabernets a short stint in the cellar or a vigorous decant before drinking would be beneficial.

94 Jeb Dunnuck

94 Vinous/Antonio Galloni

2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Our first Napa Valley bottling is composed of wines from two different vineyards. One borders the north end of the Rutherford AVA while the other vineyard resides in the Los Posadas region of Howell Mountain. The bouquet is slow to express itself but your patience is rewarded with sweet aromas of crushed blackberries, toasted oak, baker's chocolate and kalamata olives. These combine for a layered and texturally satisfying mouthfeel with great length and complexity. The pure fruit center and sweet fine grained tannins create a balanced and harmonious drinking experience full of pleasure.Our first Napa Valley bottling is composed of wines from two different vineyards. One borders the north end of the Rutherford AVA while the other vineyard resides in the Los Posadas region of Howell Mountain. The bouquet is slow to express itself but your patience is rewarded with sweet aromas of crushed blackberries, toasted oak, baker's chocolate and kalamata olives. These combine for a layered and texturally satisfying mouthfeel with great length and complexity. The pure fruit center and sweet fine grained tannins create a balanced and harmonious drinking experience full of pleasure.

2018 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

We are incredibly excited with our first effort from this newly planted site on Mount Veeder and feel fortunate to have started with such a heralded vintage . The 2018 Mt. Veeder is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and is made up of clones 685 and 169 that were co-fermented for 14 days. Inky purple and highly aromatic with notes of fresh blueberries, black olives, bakers chocolate and spearmint running the length of the wine. The wine's true beauty reveals itself hours after being open which gives us a glimpse of what this wine will become in the years ahead and might be the most exciting part of the process. The drinking part is still the most fun.

96+ Jeb Dunnuck

95 Vinous/Antonio Galloni

2019 Cresta Velia Pinot Noir

Without the usual September heatwave we’ve experienced the past few vintages we were able to let the fruit hang on the vine until the latter part of the month which allowed the flavors to develop without a significant spike in sugars. These conditions, along with the 12% stem inclusion, helped create an expansively aromatic wine with a rich and structured palette, balanced with lively acidity and a long savory finish. Aromatics of sweet pipe tobacco, cherry, spice and pomegranate eventually give way to the savory back end of the wine revealing notes of wet soil, sandalwood and Cara Cara orange. Although 2019 is drinking exceptionally well right now I believe it to be the most cellar worthy Pinot Noir we have made and I recommend tucking away a handful of bottles in the cellar and revisiting them in eight to ten years.

2017 Eagle Summit Cabernet Sauvignon

The nose starts off all fruits and flowers and then takes a turn to the savory side. Blueberries, cassis, plum skins, African violets and rose petals are what come to mind on the first sniff. The nose then veers toward pencil shavings, raw meat, chaparral and damp earth. Full bodied with a sweet fruit core and a hint of fennel and black olives on the finish. Feels like a warm hug from an old friend.

96 points- Jeb Dunnuck(1/31/2020)

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2017 Ithica Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Our second effort from this vineyard is every bit as good as our first. Spearmint, blue fruits and dried sage form the energetic nose of our 2017 Ithica. The wine derives its framework from acidity more so than tanin, which helps moderate the bountiful amount of freshness contained in this beauty. If this wine had a nickname it would be Silky.

93 points-Jeb Dunnuck(1/31/2020)

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2018 Cresta Velia Pinot Noir

We finally did it! Whole cluster fermentation. This vintage seemed like the right time to give it a try and we are pleased with the results. The whole cluster gives the wine a bit more weight and complexity while retaining the freshness we consistently achieve from this sight. Cherry, pomegranate, saddle leather and earth are all present on the nose. Firm and brooding but with ample amounts of fruit and acidity for both near term pleasure and long term aging.

2016 Eagle Summit Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Best wine yet! Not only because it is the current release but because it’s true. Excited and proud, like a parent watching your daughter stick the landing on the balance beam, for you to enjoy the best all around for Cresta Velia. The vineyard really shined in 2016. It is as self regulating as a vineyard gets as far as fruit set and canopy management minus a few suckering passes. The fruit was pristine and needed almost no sorting.  Dark ruby red in color with dark fruits, savory herbs and spicy black liquorice on the nose. Full bodied, rich and concentrated with plenty of acidity and tannins to help frame the dense fruit core at the wines center.

2016 Ithica Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

We picked an amazing vintage to add another wine to the CV portfolio and we are very pleased with our first bottling from this Rutherford site. The moderate but amply warm growing season allowed us to pick at full phenolic ripeness while maintaining  enough acidity to create a rich and bold effort with varietal correctness while allowing the site specifics qualities to shine. The sweet nose smells of rose petals and red cherry with spicy cedar and wet soil. Youthful yet intriguing this Rutherford wine hits all the marks of a valley floor Cabernet.  Full to medium bodied with a significant fruit core, hints of dried herbs, cassis and kirsch with fine round tannins and a healthy dose of acid helping to keep the wine lively and energetic. Although I would classify this wine as an early drinker there should be no problem letting it hang out in the cellar to gain some complexity.

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2016 Cresta Velia Pinot Noir

The only vintage smaller than  2017 was 2015 when we received no fruit at all. Since our entire 2017 production was a barrel and a half we decided to not use any new oak which allowed the site and the purity of the fruit to take center stage. This was the earliest we have ever picked this site as we wanted to get out in front of the Labor Day weekend heat spike. The fruit was fully destemmed and was on skins for 15 days. Aromatically the wine is slower to evolve than in past vintages but when it does it really steps on the gas. You are greeted with hints of pomegranate, bing cherry, burnt orange peel and smoke. The wine is rich and dark fruited without tasting heavy as the higher acidity in this years version helps keep it a bit more spry than the 2016. We believe the wine will be showing more complexity in a few months and recommend starting off your summer with Cresta Velia Pinot Noir.

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2015 Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon

Here we go again. It seems as though I’m saying the same thing year after year. Another excellent vintage from Howell Mountain. And once again it’s true. The wine shows deep purple color concentration with both sweet and savory aromatics on the nose. Blackberries, currants, freshly turned soil and black licorice attack your nostrils from the glass. Rich, broad and full bodied as this wine  is the vineyard once again provides the balancing influence of acidity and tannin and helps usher in the finishing notes of roasted meats, cigar box, fennel and more black and blue fruit. If 2012 and 2013 Cresta Velia had a baby it would be the 2015. Incredible concentration from the 2013 with generous portions of fruit from 2012. And although you are not supposed to have a favorite child, if I had to choose I think it would be 2015...until we release the 2016.

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2016 Cresta Velia Pinot Noir

We had to push the bottling date back from August to December, due to circumstances beyond our control, and after tasting the results we will continue to bottle the Pinot in December. This  extra time in barrel has helped create a more complex and savory wine that still retains its freshness. The wine is made of equal parts clone 115 and 667 and has the color of pale to medium ruby with a nose of spearmint, pipe tobacco, earth and crushed raspberries. The mid palate is dense and medium bodied with generous amounts of red fruit, spice and cherry cola and supported by fully ripe and welcoming tannins. Our most serious effort thus far from the Sonoma Coast.

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2014 Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon

Early to bud and early to ripen, the 2014 vintage was our third drought year in a row. Dry, even temperatures marched the grapes along at a steady clip all year and created a wine with beautifully integrated fruit, acidity, and tannin.

Dense and dark magenta in color, this is a lithe and energetic vintage with lifted aromatics and a purity of fruit that lights up the medium-bodied tannin structure. The nose promises fresh black fruits, cherries and a touch of graphite, and the palate completely delivers. Juicy blackberry, plum, and bright cherry explode in the mouth, and develop into savory notes of baked black fruit and fresh pencil shavings on the mid-palate. Eagle Summit Vineyard’s signature eucalyptus appears on the back palate to brighten the fruit, showing fragrant peppermint and warm, toasty spices through the finish. Whether you open it young or wait a few decades, this vintage does Howell Mountain proud--sophisticated and smart, with a rustic wild side.

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2013 Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon

With five vintages under our belt, I can safely say this is the best of the bunch.  All the components of the 2013 are a slight step up from the 2012.  Deeper color, more fruit and concentration along with a bit more structure has led to our most serious wine to date. Dark purple in color with massive aromatics of blue and black fruits, plum and fennel bring you to the rich mouth coating finish of blackberry, earth and bakers chocolate.  If you like your Cabernets young, this will need a healthy decant.  Happy drinking. 

2014 Cresta Velia Pinot Noir

The newest addition to the Cresta Velia lineup is our Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from a small vineyard near the town of Occidental and a mile from Harrison Grade Road.
Red fruit and rose petals are the first aromas out of the glass, although with a bit of time they morph into freshly tilled earth, raw mushrooms and a hint of chamomile.  Raspberry and first of the season strawberries on the palate move towards a loamy middle with generous amounts of acidity and a touch of baking spice on the finish. Over the next few years this wine will add weight in bottle making it even more complex and interesting.  In it’s youth, it will benefit greatly from a hearty decant and a well cooked meal.

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2012 Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon

2012 was another really good year on Howell Mountain. After the challenging 2011 vintage, the classic growing season of 2012 was a welcome change. The absence of late season rains allowed for optimal hang time on the vine helping concentrate flavors and manage tannins in the vineyard. Our 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is as seamless and balanced as the growing season itself. Unlike it’s predecessor the 2012 is more purple than black with a rich and full bodied mid palate, round mouthfeel and finishes with the classic Howell Mountain spice.

Wine Advocate Score 93

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2011 Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon

The third release from Cresta Velia is an Inky black wine with a concentrated nose of spicy black fruit, which gives way to blueberry, eucalyptus and bakers chocolate. Notes of black cherry, crushed stone and violets create the rich, complex, mid-palate that finishes with the lively acidity, ripe tannins and structure you expect from Howell Mountain.

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2010 Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon

The second release from Cresta Velia begins with dark berry fruit, violets and Howell Mountain spice. Black and blue fruit concentrate and a rich meaty quality comprise a dense palate that buffers ripe tannins and a full complement of acidity for a long mouth coating finish. 

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