Although the Pestonis are nestled on the valley floor, one must look skyward to locate the origin of this special library release. Roughly 2,000 feet up Howell Mountain, the “Three Tears Vineyard” is home to 13 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, the sole source of today’s wine. After picking and twice-sorting the fruit, the grapes were de-stemmed and transferred into stainless steel for fermentation. Upon completion, the resulting wine matured in new, high-quality French oak barrels for 24 months. This parcel has been resting in their cellar ever since. 

The direct-from-the-winery provenance is evident the moment the cork is pulled. An opaque dark ruby hue, with the subtlest bricking on the rim, spills into a large Bordeaux stem and emits dense yet fresh perfume. After 30-60 minutes of air, this becomes a Howell Mountain Cabernet archetype: intensely layered, ripping with muscle and dark fruit, and sizzling with black-rock minerality, you’ll discover cassis, black raspberry liqueur, charred plum, crushed volcanic rock, graphite, cedar, cigar tobacco, and violets carry through to the opulent, full-bodied palate. Now nearing the decade-mark, it’s just starting to unravel some savory, earthy soul. Those who want primary fruit and power, start uncorking your bottles now and over the next five years. Those who want more of a sinewy, secondary-dominated Cabernet, should wait another decade. This has so much life left! When consuming, grill or pan-sear a ribeye—few pairings are more simple and delicious than this.