It was a beautiful afternoon at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as we were chatting and tasting with Roger Louer. In 1999, longtime friends Roger Louer and Robert Young commenced efforts to establish a first-class Cabernet Sauvignon brand and sourced the grapes from Howell Mountain.
There were three more wines to be tasted and the next wine was the Roberts + Rogers Signature Series Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley 2024. Roger Louer explained that his winemaker that has been with him since the beginning suggested that he needed a “signature” wine. The first was the 2016 vintage and it has proceeded to the 2024 vintage. Each barrel of the “Louer Family” is tasted, prior to bottling, and a few barrels are put aside after the two years of aging in new French Oak. This is a very deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of concentrated black fruit, followed by espresso, tobacco, cedar box, baking spices and toasted oak. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of black currants, blackberry, dark plums and black cherry blending with polished tannins creating a velvety-smooth ending with a long-count finish of savory fruit, mocha and spices and subtle oakiness.
The last of the Cabs that we tasted was the Roberts + Rogers Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Howell Mountain 2024. Howell Mountain is one of the most prestigious sub appellations of Napa Valley. To give you an idea of how important it is, the Napa Valley appellation was awarded in 1981 (and only the second appellation in the country) and the first sub-appellation was Howell Mountain in 1984. While there is no Howell Mountain peak, the name is derived from Howell Mountain Township which sits above the fog line of 1,400 feet above sea level, and to have the designation, the vineyards must also be above this mark on the Vaca mountain range. The soil is volcanic, and most of it is iron-rich clay. This wine was aged for two years in new French Oak. This deep- garnet-red colored wine offered notes of dark fruits, violets, cedar, spices, chocolate and some graphite. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of blackberry, currants plums, and cassis followed by some chocolate, vanilla, leather and smoke blending with dusty tannins and ending with a long-count finish of rich fruit, spices and terroir.
To finish off the tasting we had the Roberts + Rogers Zinfandel Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2024. This is a small-batch, volcanic soil wine from Howell Mountain hillside vineyards above the fog line, which produces concentrated fruit and distinct minerality. This ruby-red colored wine offered notes of red and black fruit followed by cracked pepper and other spices. On the palate this medium-to-full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of blackberry, plums and black cherry blending with good acidity and polished tannins ending with a long-count finish of rich fruit, pepper and spices and terroir.
