The Yamagata prefecture is situated in the lower part of the region of Tohoku and is home to mountain ranges that open to the sea. The region’s mostly isolated area keeps it from the hub of bustling cities, but the quality of the region’s sake is well known. There are over 60 sake breweries in the Yamagata region, and the oldest one goes back to the Japanese civil war at the start of the Edo era. The youngest brewery in the Yamagata prefecture still has ancient characteristics. A majority of the sake brewed in the prefecture is crafted and consumed in Yamagata, and only a small percentage of the sake wines actually leave the region. The brewers in the region are also mainly from the prefecture and only roughly 30 percent of the brewers come from outside the region. The cold weather lends a hand to sake brewing and most of the wines created here are crafted from rice that grows in the cold climate. These full bodied sakes are typically clean in taste and have character. The Yamagata prefecture boasts of well balanced sakes that are characteristic and unique in taste. The region continues to advance and develop new brewing methods.
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Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Crafted with precision from six pedigreed sites comes a wine that beams with pale straw hue. The newest vintage brings wonderful aromatic intensity: candied lemon peel, white florals followed by crisp green apple. A creamy and viscous texture on the palate is buoyed by white nectarine and dried apricot that’s balanced with a vibrant acidity, bringing focus to the wine’s finish that lingers with hints of flinty mineral notes.
Review:
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
This is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with an opaque purple color and perfumed aromas of blackberry compote, orange blossom, cassis, creme brulee, and cocoa. On the palate the wine is plush and concentrated with well-integrated tannins and a vibrant finish. Lush enough to be consumed now and structured enough to hold for decades thanks to the mountain heritage of this beautiful wine.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is an incredible wine, and it flirts with perfection. Full-bodied and concentrated, it has flawless balance and elegance as well as just textbook Howell Mountain notes of blue fruits, cassis, violets, graphite, and background oak. I love its tannins, it has remarkable purity of fruit, and a great, great finish. It has some appeal today yet deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and should have over two decades of longevity.
-Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points
Winemaker Sean Capiaux has crafted this Howell Mountain staple for more than two decades. In 2019, he's made a knockout! Explosive aromas of ripe, black fruit, wild mountain sage, turned earth and toasty oak. Enveloping on the palate with an intricate mix of black cherry, blackberry and blueberry fruit moving quickly into more savoury notes of crushed stones, cassis, wildflowers. Finishing long and with vibrancy and lift. A powerful core of firm fine-grained tannins are nicely integrated. Great cellar potential.
-Decanter 97 Points