2017 Red Phoenix Red Wine Rubeus Napa Valley 750 ml

They call themselves the Howell Mountain Howlers.

It’s a loose, unofficial band of mountain-Cabernet collectors who are obsessive in their dedication to the group’s namesake Napa appellation. Nobody—and we mean nobody, short of the winemakers themselves—knows more about Howell Mountain’s best bottles than these aficionados. Peek into their cellars and you’ll find verticals of Outpost, Abreu, and Cade. Strike up a conversation and you’ll hear plenty of strong opinions.

At the last tasting we dropped in on, they almost didn’t include the 2017 Red Phoenix Red in the lineup. Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from a prestigious Howell Mountain vineyard, it also contains a small amount of Merlot from Atlas Peak.

But one sip into this rich, muscular Napa red, brooding and generous on the palate, and it became obvious to us that it’d be a BIG mistake for anyone to miss out on a wine of this superb caliber.

From a Belize-born winemaker who’s been fêted in the pages of Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, this is a powerhouse with luxury written all over it. The impeccably sourced 2017 Rubeus boasts a pricy maturation regimen: 40% is barrel-fermented and then barrel-aged two years in new French oak.

Due to NDAs, neither Red Phoenix winemaker Joseph Smith nor we can share the names of the Howell Mountain or Atlas Peak vineyards from where this wine was sourced, but they are both TREMENDOUS sites.  

Smith has a knack for working with mountain vineyards, finding ways to preserve the monumental character and tannic scaffolding while teasing out soft edges and approachability. This bottle charmed a room full of ultra-discerning Howell Mountain collectors. For any Napa Cab lover, it’s quite literally the tops.