96 RP
2022 - 2044
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) comes from a vineyard that contains more volcanic rock. Deep purple-black in color, it reveals slightly tarry notes to begin, soon opening out to beautiful black cherry, black berry and warm cassis scents with hints of cigar box, charcuterie, licorice and Indian spices. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and wonderful freshness supporting the densely packed earth layers, finishing very long and savory. This needs time! 920 cases produced.
Now that the Dakota and Montana vineyards are 20 years old, winemaker Pierre Seillan (who also makes Verité for the Spire Collection) told me he can now start to see the true natures of the wines, with a wonderful, steady evolution of ripening taking place in the vineyards over this time. Situated beneath Mount St. Helena in the Knights Valley AVA, these two vineyards more or less form a "V" facing one another and, therefore, have very different aspects as well as soil types, accounting for dramatic differences in styles but not quality.