The 2019 Tobias Cabernet Sauvignon Pauli Vineyard Howell Mountain is a single-vineyard Cabernet built around Howell Mountain’s high-elevation intensity and tannin. The Pauli Vineyard—formerly known as Vogt Vineyard—sits roughly 1,700–1,800 feet up on Howell Mountain and is planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon in “reddish iron-rich volcanic and very rocky soils,” a combination the estate links to “intensity, color, and natural firm tannins.” Production is small; Wine Spectator reports “400 cases made.”

In the glass, the wine presents as unapologetically dark and concentrated. Antonio Galloni’s excellent 95-point review in Vinous calls it “packed with inky dark fruit, blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice, dried herbs, smoke and menthol,” emphasizing both its richness and its drive. Galloni also underscores the scale of the wine, describing “fruit density and tannic heft” that are “all amplified in this dramatic, full-throttle Cabernet,” while noting he “very much like[s] the energy here,” which helps keep the wine moving even at its most powerful.

Wine Spectator’s 92-point take similarly frames the 2019 as a bold, ripe-leaning mountain Cabernet that is beginning to show some development. The magazine notes it “shows some maturity now, with a gently mulled edge to the mix of boysenberry and blackberry fruit,” backed by “anise, baking spice and roasted mesquite notes” that “provide a frame for the finish.” Their summary is clear about the styling: it “leans toward heft rather than purity in the end,” and is “for fans of the style.”

Taken together, the critical picture is of a Howell Mountain Cabernet that prioritizes depth, savory spice, and structure over restraint. For drinkers who like substantial Napa mountain Cabernet, it’s already in a good window, with Wine Spectator suggesting to “drink now through 2030.”