High above the Napa Valley floor at roughly 2,200 feet, Randy and Lori Dunn have spent more than four decades making one of California wine country’s most focused Cabernet Sauvignons. Dunn Vineyards is small, intentional, and built for the long haul.

The story behind Dunn Vineyards

Randy Dunn spent the 1970s as winemaker at Caymus Vineyards, helping shape some of Napa’s most celebrated Cabernets. In 1979 he and Lori bonded their own small winery on Howell Mountain and released their first wines from the 1982 vintage. The focus was singular from the start: Cabernet Sauvignon from volcanic mountain soils, made with minimal intervention and built to last.

Dunn Vineyards has remained family-owned and deliberately small. Randy’s son Mike joined the operation and handles much of the winemaking today. Production stays limited, the mailing list stays long, and the style stays true: Howell Mountain Cabernet that needs time and rewards patience.

Howell Mountain sits above the fog line, giving vines long bright days and cold nights that build natural acidity and push ripening slowly.

Howell Mountain and what the terroir delivers

Howell Mountain is one of Napa’s mountain AVAs, sitting at elevations from 1,400 to over 2,200 feet on the eastern range. The soils are volcanic and rocky, derived from ancient rhyolitic ash deposits. They drain fast, stress the vines, and force roots deep, producing small concentrated berries with natural structure.

The mountain sits above the valley fog that blankets the floor overnight, so mornings are bright and the diurnal swing between day and night temperatures is dramatic. That swing preserves acidity and freshness while still allowing phenolic ripeness. Wines from this AVA tend to have firmer tannins than valley-floor Cabs and a mineral tension that carries through decades in the cellar.

The wines

Dunn makes two Cabernet Sauvignons: a Howell Mountain bottling sourced from estate and mountain fruit, and a Napa Valley bottling that blends mountain fruit with valley-floor sources. Both are traditional in approach, aged in French oak with restrained new-oak percentages and bottled without fining or filtration.

The Howell Mountain Cabernet is the flagship. It shows dark fruit, dried herbs, iron-tinged earthiness, and firm tannins on release. Drinking windows often stretch from ten to thirty or more years post-vintage. Production is small and wines are sold primarily through a mailing list.

What to pour with Dunn Cabernet

The firm tannins in Howell Mountain Cabernet are looking for protein and fat to soften against. A well-marbled ribeye or slow-braised short rib gives those tannins what they need. The chemistry is direct: tannins bind to proteins, releasing their grip on your palate and letting the fruit and structure come forward.

Aged cheeses like clothbound cheddar or Manchego work similarly. Salt in the cheese amplifies fruit perception and fat cushions tannin. Avoid spicy preparations, which amplify tannin harshness, and delicate fish dishes that get overwhelmed by the wine’s weight and grip.

Dunn Vineyards: common questions