2023 - 2048
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard spent 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold scents of fresh blackberries, black currants and mulberries plus suggestions of cedar chest, pencil lead, iron ore and truffles, with emerging wafts of crushed rocks and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers firm, grainy, exquisitely ripe tannins and seamless freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruits, finishing on a long-lingering fragrant earth note. 800 cases were made.
The two Anakota vineyards sit at the base of Mount St. Helena in Knights Valley, in the northeast of Sonoma, just north of Napa Valley's Calistoga. While very close to one another, the two sites have different aspects, altitudes and soil profiles, producing markedly different wines. Generally speaking, Helena Dakota is composed of a red-loam soil, allowing for deeper roots and more vine vigor. Helena Montana is perched at a higher altitude with sandy/gravelly loam soils that force the vines to struggle. The Helena Montana and Helena Dakota vineyards are truly coming into their own now at 20 years old. The winemaker here is Pierre Seillan from Verité, applying the same sensitivity to understanding the land and expressing the individual terroirs.
