2019 Autumn Equinox News

Another harvest is nearing our doorstep, though there are yet a few weeks of waiting and watching. Being a late ripening site here on Howell Mountain, we are always harvesting long after our friends on the valley floor have hung up their sheers and set off for some well-earned time away. In 2019 we may be up to three weeks behind our own average pick dates; it will be November before we harvest a single cabernet sauvignon berry. This means longer hang times, and greater phenolic ripeness in general, so it doesn’t trouble us to postpone some time for rest. 

Of course this moment of the year is not only about the present, but also of celebrating the wines that are now ready to be released. In this case, it has taken all our patience and respect for the winegrowing process to wait to offer the wines of the 2015 vintage—at ADAMVS this process entails a minimum of 22 months in oak and two years aging in bottle in order to achieve an elegant wine that may be enjoyed now or cellared for decades to come. In 2015, low crop levels, small, concentrated berries, and a long growing season produced wines of particular distinction, purity, and vibrancy here at the Estate. We were fortunate to garner significant accolades for the TERES, QUINTVS, and ADAMVS from writers whom we greatly admire. Of the 2015 ADAMVS, Jeb Dunnuck wrote: 

A wine that’s going to be a candidate for perfection in 4-5 years, it has a powerful, deep, age-worthy style as well as heavenly notes of blueberries, bay leaf, ginger, and lead pencil shavings. It’s unquestionably the most powerful and concentrated in the lineup, yet like all great wines, stays beautifully balanced and elegant. Don’t miss it.