Magnum of Howell Mountain '01 Zinfandel. Drink now! This wine is a dark purple red in the glass and has a surprisingly subdued nose right out of the bottle, but one that after a couple hours opens into scents of vanilla, anise, and blackberries, as well as a very heady sweet oak smell. On the palate it is extremely well balanced between the pepper and fruit extremes of Zinfandel: lush but not overly jammy flavors of blueberries and blackberries with hints of the vanilla from the nose, balanced by leather and tar elements mixed with some peppercorns.