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Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc

93 Points Robert M. Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate, December 1996

The spectacular 1994 Cabernet Franc offers a pronounced sweet, smoky, earthy, roasted meat, black-cherry, and cassis-scented nose. Dense, with fabulous concentration, a chewy texture, and a full-bodied, long, layered finish, this wine is already difficult to resist, but it should keep for 12-15 years.

Perhaps the most underrated (or under-publicized) wine from La Jota is their Cabernet Franc. Readers may remember that when I did the retrospective blind tasting of the 1986 vintage, one of the top wines in the tasting was La Jota's 1986 Cabernet Franc. I have been buying this wine over recent vintages, and frankly, I can't get enough of it. It is the finest Cabernet Franc made in California, but, unfortunately, only 350 cases are produced.