Dunn Vineyards

Kristina Dunn was very informative and gave us a great tour of the vineyard. While providing us with intricate details of the making of their wine, she projects an honesty and passion that is much appreciated. Their cabs still are unmatched by any other in the valley. We bought a couple bottles while there of the Howell Mountain Cabs. Now I’m thinking it should have been a couple of cases! This was a great opportunity and honor to have spent the time with Kristina.

Where do I begin.
We had the pleasure of getting in with Kristine Dunn. The two of us & herself, for a 3-​hour tour/​love fest. Humble and down to earth was our whole venture. Her brother is, just the same. (Senior Dunn’s, on vacation) And then the Wine… OMG. ’05…’07…’08…
The backbone of these fine products, drinks in volumes.
THANK YOU

Where to begin when talking about Dunn… Well I just got a recent case that I ordered from Kristina and it makes me think about the two times we visited the winery.
I will tell you that if you have a stick up your bum and want to sit in a in a formal tasting room with marble arches this is NOT the place for you! As a matter of fact if that is you please don’t go — you are not worth the wine! If you want to have some wines that are going to knock your socks off in a casual jovial environment then this is your place.
Kristina ROCKS.
I have tasted and bought the following wines: 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008.
The 98 being the oldest one we have had reminded me of an old bordeaux and was tremendous. This family knows what they are doing and I am so glad we found them!

This is HANDS DOWN, the BEST wine tour and tasting I have ever been on. Unless you’re best friends with «Cali Cult» wine makers, I don’t think it can get any better.
To start, the drive up Howell Mountain was interesting, to say the least! The road is long, narrow, and winding. Apparently, there’s another road that’s a lot easier. Thanks Garmin!
There’s no sign to enter the winery. The only thing that I saw was a mailbox with the address on it. However, as soon as you make it down the driveway a bit, it’s obvious that you’ve reached your destination.
If you’re looking for overbuilt castles, tacky souvenirs, and crappy entry level wine (grape juice), this is NOT your place. I can’t stress that enough. However, if you have a genuine appreciation for the process of making quality wine, Dunn is paradise.
To start off the tour, my wife and I were greeted by Christine and Randy Dunn! I would challenge you to find another «fine winery» in which the tour and tasting are led by the founding family. Additionally, my wife and I were the only people on the tour. I think they schedule their tours like that. Christine began the tour by showing us their crusher, tanks, and explained the wine making process. All of the equipment was simple. The «No Nonsense» approach was obviously Dunn’s preferred method to making fine wine.
The second part of the tour was in the wine cave. It was huge! I want a cave in my backyard now. Also, unlike other caves we have been in, Dunn’s cave actually smelled good. Again, even though we were in a constructed cave, it was not fancy or overdone. This was completely a functional part of the wine making.
For the third part of the tour, we were led into the house/​office to taste (3) vintages of «Howell Mountain Cabernet.» We tasted the ’02, ’04, and ’06. I won’t bore you with elaborate tasting notes. Just know that these wines will knock your socks off! The finish on these bad boys will last until next Christmas!
Christine then casually asked us if we’d like to take some wine home with us. There was no pressure to buy, or to join some wine club. I really appreciated that. And of course we bought a couple bottles! This wine sells itself.
I would like to thank Christine and Randy Dunn for a truly amazing experience.

I am not a wine connoisseur but I know what tastes good and the Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon tasted amazing!!! Very nice tour of the wine cave. I got to taste right out of the barrel!

wine orgy part one:
1997 Dunn Family Howell Mountain Cabernet!

This was the first wine in our very beautiful line-​up of wines we drank.
Any of the wineries producing mountain Cabernet’s from Howell mountain or Mt. Veeder are always hit or miss for me. I am here to say that whatever Dunn Family is doing. They are doing it correctly. I have had several vintages of Dunn Family Cabernet. The wines come so close too tasting and feeling like a pure french Bordeaux.
The 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a 50-​year wine. Yep! that is what I said. I will possibly be dead before this wine matures, so I might as well enjoy them now. The aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, several minerals, and just enough oak are found in this Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine is best enjoyed with food! Big lamb or beef dish. I have a few different vintages of Dunn family left in my collection. I have always thought that we have opened them way to early to drink. This wine delivered on some maturity. It is ageing gracefully and if I am lucky the last of my 97’s will drink beautifully in 2033. Oh shit! that puts me at 65 years old. My retirement wine! Yep! That is how long they last!
You should be able to find this wine online or at high end wine shops still. People have a tendency to sell off there Dunn’s because they just wont mature fast enough. Cost should be around $ 150.00 per bottle. Restaurant will run you at least $ 300.00.
Cheers!

This is a truly unique experience. Dunn is a small vintner who makes some of the biggest Cabernets I’ve had. It’s up on Howell Mountain, a little off the beaten path but a nice drive. Mike Dunn will most likely give you the tour where you’ll get to see the caves they use to age the wine and you’ll get to taste some right out of the barrels. Mike gives you some great information about winemaking and the Dunn wines in particular. It’s the kind of personal, small winery tour that’s very hard to find these days. And the wine is terrific to boot! You need to call ahead to book a tour/​tasting but it’s worth the effort.