#96 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023 
 
Demeter Certified Biodynamic!
 
94+Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
Sappy pine and herbal notes accent blueberries and cherries on the nose of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, the best vintage of this wine I've tasted. It's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, velvety mouthfeel that's deftly balanced by bright acids on the long, tart finish. Streamlined and tannic, this will require patience, but it should blossom into silky radiance given a decade or so of cellaring. - Joe Czerwinski
Blend: 88.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.6% Merlot.
 
94-Points by James Suckling.
So much pine needle, flowers, currants and ripe plums on the nose. Medium-bodied with fine and polished tannins. Linear and very tight with a clarity and energy. Vivid is the word. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.
 
Aging
9 Months (60% in new French Oak, 40% in oak tank), followed by 26 months (20% in oak tank, 80% in French oak barrels, 60% new)
 
Production
4,880 Cases
 
Winemaker ~ Matt Taylor
The Ink Grade Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a nose of fresh cassis, pomegranate, and cocoa with elements of thyme, mint, candied orange peels, nutmeg, cloves, and paprika. The palate is linear throughout with a consistent midpalate of bright and lifted acidity and well-integrated raw mountain tannins that close in a persistent finish.
 
About the Artwork:
Painted by John James Audubon and printed from an engraved plate, this piece depicts the California quail, the state bird of California. Officially designated in 1931, quail are found throughout the state, often strutting about and foraging. They are denoted by the curving plume on the top of their heads and are frequently seen in flocks.
 
Ink Grade, Howell Mountain’s first monopole estate, produces the appellation’s greatest classical wines. The estate vineyard was first planted with vines in the 1870s by visionary pioneer, Theron Ink. Farmed organically and biodynamically since its inception and spanning eight hundred wild acres, our Estate is dotted with vine plantings that nurture and respect the natural habitat. Among the steeply terraced vineyards that cling to the iron-rich volcanic soils, there is a wild purity and raw tension here that awakens the senses. Winemaker Matt Taylor, formerly of Araujo Estate and Domaine Dujac, captures this untamed nature and preserves it by producing elegant, single-estate wines that express the pristine mountain fruit and legacy of the land. To do so requires patience and presence, taking the time to listen to what a place has to say and what it will give. This is an art. This is Ink Grade.