1988 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain ***

This bottle was purchased from WineBid.com at a huge discount three years ago. We took it out over the weekend to prove that Randy Dunn's Howell Mountain cabernets can age as nicely as any Bordeaux. The wax capsule on this bottle was lightly chipped, but the cork, perfect. The color has darkened over the years; there was no bricking on the edge, and the wine was tight at first with bright acidity and reminded me of aged Burgundy, but after a half an hour it had softened considerably and notes of sweet red berries emerged from the glass. Medium to full bodied with a mid palate of crushed dark chocolate, this will evolve for another decade, but is drinking nicely now.