“Christopher Howell deserves more recognition for the amazing consistency, longevity and sophistication that his wines from this striking Spring Mountain site routinely achieve, as anyone with Cain bottlings in their cellar from the 1980s and 1990s can attest.”
William Kelley, “Californian Cabernet 2013: Top five wines of the vintage”
Decanter.com, October 2016: Click here for PDF | Press Archive
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Cain Facts
Cain Vineyard & Winery Facts
FOUNDED: 1980
by Jerry and Joyce Cain
CAIN VINEYARD:
550 acre ranch
90 acres planted
Spring Mountain District
PRODUCTION:
20,000 cases
OWNERS:
Jim and Nancy Meadlock
WINES:
Cain Five—Cain Vineyard, Estate Bottled
Cain Concept—The Benchland
Cain Cuvée—Napa Valley
WINEMAKER
Christopher Howell
ASSOCIATE VINEYARD MANAGER:
Ashley Anderson-Bennett
ASSOCIATE WINEMAKER:
François Bugué
Image Gallery
Cain Vineyard Olaf Beckmann Portfolio: click here.
Harvest Group Portraits: click here.
Vineyard Crew: click here.
Maps
Cain Napa Valley Vineyards Map by Vestra: click here.
Cain Spring Mountain Estate Vineyard Map: click here.
Press
“You are unusual among U.S. winemakers in saying that brett can always have a place in your wines. The wines that have interested me most have transcended fruit yet, when we think of wine as a brand, we’re thinking of it as a formula.” W. Blake Gray, “Q&A: Chris Howell of Cain Vineyard & Winery”
Wine-Searcher, January 30, 2015: click here for PDF
“How the drought affects his wines doesn’t concern Howell. Using only the wild yeast from the vineyard to ferment his grapes, Howell has given control of his wines back to nature. These days, that is an act of supreme faith.” Corie Brown, “Napa Valley On the Razor’s Edge”
Zester Daily, November 13, 2014: click here for PDF
“Unlike many of his neighbors, who add enzymes and use filtration to control the microbial life in their wines, Howell is not afraid of the wild nature of the process.” Chad Walsh, “Three to Cellar”
Departures Magazine, October/November, 2014: click here for PDF
Cain Blog
“In our experience, the outcome of a Brett fermentation is far more complex and varies widely....”
Chris Howell, “A Note on Brettanomyces,” August 2014 read more
“I like to ask enologists if they feel the need to test the tomatoes
in their garden at home....”
Chris Howell, “Communique: On Ripening,” September 2012 Part 1 | Part 2
“Of all the moments in the annual growing cycle of the grapevine,
flowering is least noticed and yet the most defining.”
Chris Howell, “Communique: On Flowering,” July 2012 Part 1 | Part 2
Video
Using an Ah-So Cork Puller: click here.
Rain on Spring Mountain - March 2016: click here.
Harvest 2014 in the Cain Vineyard: click here.
After the Rain February 2014: click here.
Cane Pruning in the Cain Vineyard: click here.
Audio
“The real funny thing about wine is that even if you are the size of Coca Cola everybody wants to trade on the idea of Mom & Pops in the vineyards crushing grapes.”
Christopher Howell, “Let’s Get Real: Episode 48,” Heritage Radio Network, November 2012: click here to listen
