Block Seven. Howell Mountain at 2,400 feet. Volcanic, iron-laden soils high in kaolinite. Thomas Rivers Brown has made every vintage. The result is a Cabernet that is concentrated and structured — not because anyone decided it should be, but because the mountain gives what it gives. Spice, minerality, dark fruit with real depth. This is what the land tastes like.

Originally planted to blend with the Cabernet Sauvignon. Thomas Rivers Brown asked us to try it on its own in 2008. We did. That was the end of the conversation. Floral, earthy, spicy — and entirely itself. Fewer than 100 cases per vintage. Allocated exclusively to members. If you want to know why, come up the mountain and taste it.

Planted in 1975 on old St. George rootstock with bud wood from the historic Hayne Vineyard in St. Helena, this twelve-acre, head-trained hillside vineyard is 100% dry-farmed and the most elevated in all the Howell Mountain AVA at around 2,400 feet. Planted atop an old apple orchard from the previous century, spaced 8-by-12 feet — this is a vineyard that will never, ever be planted in the Napa Valley again.

So while most of Howell Mountain has been planted or replanted to Cabernet over the past few decades, because of the exponentially higher prices that varietal commands in today's market, we have steadfastly refused to pull out this Zinfandel.

We intend to keep it that way.

In 2019 we planted five additional acres — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a first-ever acre of Merlot — on some of the most interesting dirt on the mountain. Kaolinite clay soil over a nutrient-rich layer separated by a visible striation of ash from a volcanic event thousands of years ago. Beginning with the 2022 vintage, we named the wine Barbarous. A tribute to what nature does when you leave it mostly alone.