The Dunn Howell Mountain 2019 did not disappoint- in fact, I am going to call it The Walter White Wine- not only because it elevated my senses, but because it followed the series progression of Breaking Bad.
There are five seasons of Breaking Bad. There are five, five ounce glasses in a bottle. The first two seasons of Breaking Bad are “good enough to keep watching,” but not spectacular. The first two glasses of Dunn Howell Mountain 2019 were just that- good enough to keep drinking, but not spectacular. In fact, they were a little bitter on the end, which can be frustrating but it can sometimes also be an indication that a wine is about to take off.
I decanted the Dunn Howell Mountain 2019 for an hour, after aerating it as well. Perhaps if I decanted two hours or even three hours, the bitterness on the finish would have dissipated. But I’ve done that with other wines, and they were still bitter on the first glass. I think something else is at work here.
I’ve worked out for a long time, and one thing I learned a long time ago is you have to have “warm up” sets, particularly as you get older. You simply cannot go into the gym and start throwing up heavy iron. Your body is not warmed up, and your mind is not. Your neurology needs time to adjust- that’s where very light warm up sets come in.
It’s my own strongly held personal opinion that the same thing happens with fine wine. No matter how much you decant it, there’s so much going on in the glass that your mind needs time to adjust. You need “warm up” sets, and that’s what the first glass or two really are. As they wine oxygenates, it is rapidly changing, and your neurology just needs time to calibrate to that rate of change. So in the beginning, the wine can seem bitter and disappointing, and then all of a sudden- boom, it comes to life. Your neurology has adjusted, and you are ready for a rocket ride.
In my mind, Breaking Bad doesn’t really begin as a series until the very end of Season 2 where Mike and Gus Fring show up. Season 3 takes off like an absolute rocket shot, Season 4 is the second stage booster, and Season 5- particularly the final three episodes- is some of the best tv you will ever watch. It is absolutely captivating, and leaves you with emotions you’ve never felt before.
This is what happened starting with Glass 3 of the Dunn Howell Mountain 2019. It left the launch pad, and just kept accelerating through Glass 4 and 5, and the final few sips were phenomenal. I felt emotional because I wanted two more glasses to see where it would go…but all good things must come to an end, and sadly a magical bottle of wine is one of them.
This was definitely a magical bottle, despite the non-magical start. As I got into the third glass, every sip got better and better, not just with the flavors and aromas, but with the mouthfeel, the rapid evolution of the wine, and the emotions I experienced.
It was like being gradually lifted on a wave that was approaching the beach from a long ways away. The best way to describe the feeling is a state of “elevated energetic exuberance” that kept climbing higher until the wave hit its peak. Instead of cresting and crashing, I stayed at that peak, which became a plateau. When I was finished with the bottle, the feeling continued for several hours. Usually I like to listen to music, watch a movie, and/or drink a little fine whisky when I’m done with a bottle of wine, but in this case I just sat on the couch and enjoyed the feeling of “energetic exuberance.”
I didn’t feel high, and I certainly wasn’t bereft of my senses. In fact, I felt very sharp and clear minded as I stayed atop this plateau. I was lucid, and just felt “elevated.” It was one of the most unique feelings I’ve ever had, something I’ve never felt before, something that was evoked by the Dunn Howell Mountain 2019. It’s hard to describe with words, but that’s what a magical bottle does, it takes you to a place that’s impossible to describe, and you just have to experience it for yourself. Perhaps that’s another reason to call it the Walter White Wine.
Was the Dunn Howell Mountain a magical bottle? Oh yes, and I will definitely drink the 2019 again, and I’ll give the 2014 a try as well.
I can’t promise you will feel the same “elevated energetic exuberance” that I did, but I do think there’s a high probability you will have a magical experience with the Dunn Howell Mountain 2019, and I highly recommend it.
2019 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain
Other Howell Mountain Wines to try:
Pina Howell Mountain- about $130
Lokoya Howell Mountain- about $470
Abreu Vineyard Las Posadas- about $520
In case you missed it:
- No recent comments available.