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Open: By appointment only.
Appt required? Yes. Email dunnvineyards@sbcglobal.net or call 707-965-3642 to schedule.
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (April 17, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
For decades, Dunn Vineyards has been highly regarded in the wine industry. Randy Dunn was a pioneer on Howell Mountain, and he’s consistently crafted quality wines year after year, along with helping a number of other Howell Mountain vintners get up and running. With my high appreciation of the wines of Howell Mountain, this was a must-stop.
I set up a tasting with Kristina Dunn, daughter of the owner, and we made our way up the mountain for an early 10am start. Howell Mountain is not like the valley floor. There are no signs pointing you to tasting rooms, no signposts directing you to your next drop-in visit. Most wineries are family-owned and operated, and Dunn was no different. But as a first-timem Howell Mountain visitor, it’s quite disconcerting to drive past a number of “No Trespassing” signs and “Dead End” signs on faith that you’re going to the right spot.
The collective Barlin faith faltered once we passed our 2nd “No Trespassing” sign on the way to what we thought was Dunn. Ahead were only what looked like homes or maybe a farm building.
“I don’t think this is right,” my ever-supported wife chimed in.
We pulled over and opened the iPad, deciding to see if Kristina had sent any special instructions. As you might imagine, cell service on the mountain left something to be desired, and it took a while for me to pull up the old email.
“Hurry up! Someone’s coming!!”
Thank you, Stephanie. That’s helpful. Raise my stress level while I’m trying to type on that blasted Apple keyboard.
It turned out we were in the right spot after all. We parked next to a water tank and wandered toward the house. A brown-haired young woman came to greet us with two four-legged friends in tow. Kristina’s dog Roscoe was 3 but looked like he was 12, and he was accompanied by a little rabblerouser, a 5-week old puppy that Kristina was watching for her mom. We got acquainted while the puppy tried to chew off my exposed toes (“sandals were a bad choice”) and Kristina showed us the property.
We saw the wine processing facility and the cave full of double-stacked Dunn barrels. We then went upstairs into the house / office to taste some wine. Kristina had opened the ’04, ’05, and ’06 Howell Mountain Dunn Vineyards Cabernet. Dunn makes only Cabernet, but they make two: one from the Howell Mountain estate, and one from the Napa Valley floor. All three wines were quite good, with ’05 and ’04 showing the best. All still had plenty of time to mature as well.
One pleasant surprise at Dunn (and at many of the other Howell Mountain properties) was the availability of library wines. All years from the past 10+ were available at Dunn, as well as some large-format bottles. I walked away with some ’04 and ’05 Howell Mountain Cab plus a couple of bottles of ’07 Napa Cab, and the gem of the visit, a magnum of 1999 Howell Mountain Cab.
Kristina couldn’t have been more gracious and friendly during the visit, and this was a great way for us to kick off what would turn into an incredible day on Howell Mountain.
I set up a tasting with Kristina Dunn, daughter of the owner, and we made our way up the mountain for an early 10am start. Howell Mountain is not like the valley floor. There are no signs pointing you to tasting rooms, no signposts directing you to your next drop-in visit. Most wineries are family-owned and operated, and Dunn was no different. But as a first-timem Howell Mountain visitor, it’s quite disconcerting to drive past a number of “No Trespassing” signs and “Dead End” signs on faith that you’re going to the right spot.
The collective Barlin faith faltered once we passed our 2nd “No Trespassing” sign on the way to what we thought was Dunn. Ahead were only what looked like homes or maybe a farm building.
“I don’t think this is right,” my ever-supported wife chimed in.
“Hurry up! Someone’s coming!!”
Thank you, Stephanie. That’s helpful. Raise my stress level while I’m trying to type on that blasted Apple keyboard.
It turned out we were in the right spot after all. We parked next to a water tank and wandered toward the house. A brown-haired young woman came to greet us with two four-legged friends in tow. Kristina’s dog Roscoe was 3 but looked like he was 12, and he was accompanied by a little rabblerouser, a 5-week old puppy that Kristina was watching for her mom. We got acquainted while the puppy tried to chew off my exposed toes (“sandals were a bad choice”) and Kristina showed us the property.
One pleasant surprise at Dunn (and at many of the other Howell Mountain properties) was the availability of library wines. All years from the past 10+ were available at Dunn, as well as some large-format bottles. I walked away with some ’04 and ’05 Howell Mountain Cab plus a couple of bottles of ’07 Napa Cab, and the gem of the visit, a magnum of 1999 Howell Mountain Cab.
Kristina couldn’t have been more gracious and friendly during the visit, and this was a great way for us to kick off what would turn into an incredible day on Howell Mountain.
Recommended wine: We just tried the Howell Mountain Cab, but it was very good. Definitely a wine to be aged!
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.50 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 5.00 |  VALUE | 4.25 |
 OVERALL | 4.50 | ||
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