The nose resonates with aromas of baking spices, tobacco, and ripe plum. On the palate, this high-elevation Cabernet delivers the classic notes of charred meat, graphite, and leather. The fruit is a symphony of blackberry, currant, and a whole bowl of cherries - a reminder of just what a gift this whole thing all is. The mountain tannins are unusually soft and swollen for Howell Mountain, but the minerality and earthiness coalesce around the sunny acidity, and hold the whole affair up like a corset on a Rubenesque queen.