When you begin to understand your wine palate, you may find yourself drawn to winea from one area or another, or one style or other. There has been a long lived debate in Napa Valley over which is better, valley floor or mountain grown fruit.

Both are delicious, yet there is an obvious difference in the two. Valley floor fruit tends to be rounder, flashier, more fruit forward, while maintaining concentration and an approachable lush texture. Mountain fruit, like the exceptional fruit grown in the high elevations of Napa’s Howell Mountain tends to be leaner, showing power from the energy of the mountain, with mineral intense earthiness from volcanic soils, brooding, savory leather and tobacco flavors, and a textured palate.

Duckhorn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($100) is an excellent example of this earthy, rugged, almost masculine mountain fruit, with blackberry, black cherry, savory balsamic, and truffle ideal for enjoying with roasted venison, lamb, or wild boar.