Saunter is a collaboration between a star Napa winemaker and the head of one of Napa’s leading vineyard management companies. Josh Clark of Clark Vineyard Management and his wife Heather Clark have teamed up with celebrated winemaker Thomas Brown to create very limited production wines from choice Napa Valley vineyards. The label was named as a nod to the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, who noted that “it is a great art to saunter.” Saunter wines have won acclaim in their first few years of production. Robert Parker Jr. called a 2013 Saunter “stunning…spectacular...a beauty of symmetry, intensity and remarkable fruit quality.”
Howell Mountain AVA in Northeastern Napa Valley was the first of Napa Valley’s sub-appellations, earning its own designation in 1984, just a year after Napa Valley became an appellation. As the name suggests, the AVA is in one of the highest elevations in the area. Every vineyard in the appellation is at least 1,400 feet above sea level. Some vineyards are as high as 2,200 feet and because of their altitude most of the AVA’s vineyards receive more sun than vineyards at lower elevations, which are affected by fog from the Pacific Ocean and the San Pablo Bay. Howell Mountain was home to vineyards in the late 19th century, but winemaker Randy Dunn is considered the area’s most influential modern pioneer. Dunn moved to Howell Mountain in 1979, acquired property and began making exceptionally rich Cabernet Sauvignon. The AVA also grows Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. There are 600 vineyard acres within Howell Mountain AVA.
One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.