98 Points                                  
Rare Reserve Cabernet from Cakebread's Howell Mountain vineyard!

98 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "Lastly, the Cakeberrad 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch comes from a stunning estate vineyard on Howell Mountain with the plantings dating back to 1999. A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and a splash of Cabernet Franc, aged in 59% new oak, this beauty reminds me of a great Saint-Julien (Leoville Barton?) with its incredible purity and regal, structured style. Crème de cassis, lead pencil, violets, chalky minerality, and chocolaty oak all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ripe yet perfectly integrated tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs air if drinking any time soon and will ideally be given 4-6 years in the cellar. This beauty will have three decades of overall longevity."

95 Points Robert Parker: "From the winery's estate vineyard on Howell Mountain, the Cakebread 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, all aged 22 months in 59% new French oak. Scents of mocha, tree bark, black cherries, raspberries and cherries mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is supple, lush and long, with ample concentration and some nicely ripe, softly dusty tannins on the lingering finish."

The Cakebread Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is true to its mountain provenance boasting intense, complex, high-toned aromas of Bing cherry, brambleberry and spicy dark plum fruit mingled with enticing floral, sage, tobacco, chocolate, earth and mineral scents. Incredibly pure and focused on the palate, its beautifully structured wild cherry, ripe fig, spicy black fruit and dark chocolate flavors reveal a pronounced minerality in the wine’s long, persistent finish. Delicious now with grilled steaks, venison, and hearty stews, this wonderfully rich, complex, chiseled mountain Cabernet Sauvignon will handsomely repay long-term cellaring. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc."