When we arranged to acquire these pristine, cellar-aged magnums from Angwin Estate, this year’s devastating wildfire season in California hadn’t yet begun. But by the time we prepared to hit “send” on today’s offer, the so-called Glass Fire had spread across northern Napa and Sonoma and was threatening Jon Larson’s precious two-acre estate vineyard atop Howell Mountain.
While back vintages of Angwin Estate’s wines are safely stowed away in a temperature-controlled warehouse elsewhere in Napa, Jon emailed us to say that he feared his 2020 harvest would be lost. We’ve unfortunately heard many such stories this year, which underscore what a Herculean effort it is to get a great wine from vineyard to bottle and, eventually, to market. It also lends urgency to what was already a tantalizing no-brainer of an offer—Angwin’s “Kissing Trees” Cabernet, with age, in magnum, for just $125. Jon and his wife, Angela Henszel, launched their boutique label in 2011, and as their vines have aged their wines have continued to grow more and more impressive. They make two Cabernets from their high-elevation (2,200 feet) parcel on Howell Mountain, where the tiny, ultra-concentrated berries produce reds that combine the saturated fruit and raw power of the Napa mountains and the deep mineral imprint of Classified Growth Bordeaux; the first thing that comes to mind when I taste the ’13 “Kissing Trees” is the brooding power of top-tier Pauillac. Having offered this wine previously in 750ML format, I can confirm that it is even more stunning in magnum, but what’s most impressive of all is the uncommonly reasonable price. There’s still lots more positive evolution ahead of this bottle, so take up to six today and run!
NOTE: Complimentary Ground Shipping on two magnums!
Howell Mountain’s upper reaches are nothing new to owner Jon Larson—he spent a portion of his childhood here after his parents purchased the property in the 1970s. Back then, there were no grapes to be had here and hardly any neighbors, either. Growing up in this remote environment seems to have influenced the way his vineyard is run today—it’s a self-sustaining system up here. We must fast-forward all the way to 2002 before Jon and his brother, Bjorn, broke ground to plant Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes were subsequently sold off to others until he deemed the vines mature, and since their inaugural vintage in 2011, they have held on to every single grape for their own estate-bottled wines.
Their two-acre, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard is situated at the eastern limits of Howell Mountain. With “a profound respect for the complex relationship between vine, soil, and forest,” Jon and Angela fertilize these rich volcanic soils with natural compost and plant a wide array of cover crops to encourage biodiversity. All grapes were harvested by hand—a ripe and abundant Napa harvest—and they were shuttled to Judd’s Hill winery for vinification (they have used this site since their inception in 2011). For 2013, they incorporated a small amount of Hungarian oak into their aging regimen; the wine rested in a combination of 60% new French and Hungarian oak for 24 months. Upon bottling, its alcohol level was a wonderfully elegant 13.9%. Although I haven’t tried myself, Jon and Angela swear by the wine’s lasting power after popping the cork. Prior to releasing each vintage, they will open a wine and replace the cork weekly, and, in some cases, it has remained palatable for over a month. In other words, if you don’t polish off the bottle in one sitting, no need to fret.
In the glass, “The Kissing Trees” shows a dark garnet core that moves out to hints of orange on the rim. Nearing five years of age, this is beginning to blossom with Pauillac-like perfume, while retaining the core of sweet fruit we’ve come to know and love in classic Napa wines. The initial nose reveals black and red currant, black cherry liqueur, licorice, plum, cacao, purple flowers and exotic spice. ‘Old World’ traits soon follow with graphite, tobacco leaf, green olive, damp forest, cedar, and petrichor. Directly past the sweet entry of fruit on the palate is a crushed rock minerality that is typical of high-altitude Cabernet and classed-growth Bordeaux. The wine is approaching full-bodied and slight aging has softened out the tannins, making this a polished wine without losing its textbook Howell Mountain structure. As befitting a perfectly crafted Cabernet, this will be a great cellar selection if you want it to be, seeing positive progression over the next 5-10 years. Enjoy this in large Bordeaux stems around 60 degrees and pair it with the succulence of an herb-roasted lamb with a lavender twist. Cheers!
