Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California · 90% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot
La Jota Vineyard Howell Mountain Merlot
One of the greatest Merlots to emerge from La Jota since the early 1990s, from a micro-terroir unlocked by extreme crop-pruning.
La Jota Vineyard Co. has been making benchmark Merlot on Howell Mountain since the estate was re-established in 1974, carrying forward a legacy that began when Fredrick Hess built the stone winery in 1898. The 2014 vintage marks a turning point under winemaker Chris Carpenter, who brought the property back to the heights it reached in the early 1990s.
The 2014 Merlot is a 90% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot blend sourced from a micro-terroir within the estate that had historically underperformed until draconian crop-pruning unlocked its potential. Howell Mountain's volcanic plateau soils and high elevation (1,400 to 2,200 feet) produce intense fruit with pronounced minerality. The wine was aged in 76% new French oak, yielding a dense purple wine with mulberry, chocolate, mocha, and coffee aromatics, plush tannins, and a layered, fleshy mouthfeel. The 2014 vintage in Napa was marked by early budbreak and a long, even growing season, allowing full phenolic ripeness without excessive alcohol.
Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel, malolactic in barrel, 20 months in French oak. Drink from 2018 through 2031.
Pairs with
“93 points. Dense purple, with a big, sweet kiss of mulberry, chocolate, mocha and coffee, the wine is luscious, fleshy, dramatic and even flamboyant, with fabulous fruit on the attack and mid-palate, silky tannin and a plush, layered mouthfeel.”
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California
- Producer
- La Jota Vineyard Co. (Chris Carpenter, winemaker)
- Region
- Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California
- Varietal
- 90% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot
- Vintage
- 2014
- Alcohol
- 14.5
- Size
- 750ml
- Closure
- natural cork
Shipping
Complimentary case shipping on full cases (12 bottles). 6-bottle orders ship from $25. All other quantities calculated at checkout. Every order ships in temperature-controlled packaging.
Delivery
Orders are processed within 1-2 business days. You choose your preferred delivery date at checkout. We do not ship to states where prohibited by law.
