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All desert island wines by any measure, it’s hard to go wrong with any of these 2018s from Brad Grimes. The 2018 Las Posadas offers a monster bouquet of ripe black fruits, chocolate, graphite, and scorched earth and is dense, full-bodied, and insanely concentrated on the palate. It’s a big, monster of a wine yet, the purity of fruit is extraordinary, and it has loads of tannins, perfect balance, and a great finish. I finished my notes with "awesome."Jeb Dunnuck | 99+ JDFrom a slightly cooler vintage, the 2018 Las Posadas Proprietary Red comes across as slightly fresher than the 2017, with notes of sage and bay leaf accenting its blueberry and cassis fruit. But while it’s fresher, it appears just as concentrated, with ample richness on the full-bodied palate and a long, velvety textured and tannic finish. Give it a few years—or two decades—in the cellar, depending how mature you like your wines.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThis has a lot going on, with a deep well of warmed black currant preserves, licorice root, menthol, sweet bay leaf, road tar and roasted apple wood. There’s burly grip running underneath, which winds up providing laser-sharp focus for everything as this carries on through the finish. An extreme mountain Cabernet for deep cellaring. For tannin lovers only. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 162 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2018 Las Posadas is inky, powerful and deep. It also comes across as quite closed in this tasting. Then again, this is Howell Mountain. Time in the glass brings out all the aromas and flavors that make Howell Mountain Cabernets so appealing. There’s plenty of lavender, spice, menthol and licorice to play off the dark blue/purplish-hued fruit. All the 2018 needs is a few years in bottle.Vinous Media | 96+ VM

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is elegant, deep and classy. Inky dark purplish fruit, savory herbs, menthol, licorice and spice. The purity of the fruit is remarkable today. There is plenty of youthful Howell Mountain tannin, so readers will have to be patient. Bright floral accents lift the red/purplish berry fruit nicely. This is such an expressive, alluring Cabernet.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGRipe and very juicy, with a youthfully compact set of plum, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors wrapped in licorice and violet notes. This is both racy and grippy, showing serious power but with the freshness and drive to match. Delivers a long, iron accent that scores the fruit through the finish. Best from 2024 through 2040. 3,523 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a typically long-term proposition, coated in dusty tannins and cedary oak. It will take time for the cassis, blueberry and slightly pine-scented backbone of this wine to emerge, as for the moment it’s almost difficult to taste. Yes, the concentration is present, the tannins are almost silky-ripe, but the structure of this medium to full-bodied wine is unassailable. Hands off for at least five years, and probably more, to judge by how past vintages have evolved.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP