2003 Helena Dakota Cabernet Sauvignon

"The Helena Dakota Vineyard 2003 vintage is a very dark to opaque ruby in color opening with aromas of powerful, fresh, ripe blackberries, plums, raspberries, and cassis with hints of tobacco, vanilla, violets and dark soil. On the palate the wine is full bodied and concentrated with notes of dark cherry, plums, anise, coffee and a distinct minerality. This is a textured wine with great vitality, embedded tannins and a long finish which bodes well for extended aging." - Pierre Seillan, Vigneron/Winemaker

93 POINTS, Robert Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate, December 2005
“Aged in 100% new French oak, the dense saturated purple-colored 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota offers up beautiful scents of flowers, blackberries, blueberries, charcoal, hot rocks and smoky new oak. Rich, full-bodied, and tannic, this impressive effort possesses a Bordeaux-like elegance and complexity. It represents a combination of North Coast Cabernet with Bordeaux freshness and elegance. Give it 2-3 more years of bottle age, and enjoy it over the following 10-15 years.”

Sourced exclusively from estate-owned vineyards, Anakota is one of two single vineyard, single varietal, Knights Valley appellation wines that personify the rustic elegance and spirit of rural Sonoma County. Situated on the flanks and foothills of Mount St. Helena (at the heart of a complex volcanic zone that erupted several million years ago) the Helena Dakota Vineyard is brought to life as stressed vines struggle with rhyolite soils and challenging climatic conditions to create small, intensely flavored berries.

Running southeast to northwest on the eastern side of scenic Highway 128, this 12.4 acre vineyard is adjacent to the Helena Montana Vineyard and possesses slopes of up to 15 degrees. The prevailing westerly winds pass over a large pond, fed by a cold mountain stream that separates the two vineyards. The wind blows uphill, parallel to the rows of vines, cooling the temperature and slowing down the ripening of the grapes. This slower ripening process yields red fruit that produces wines that are packed with elegance, complexity and finesse.

The soil is a gravelly, silt loam that is reddish brown in color. Although it is rocky in places, it is softer than the soil of Helena Montana which results in deeper, more established root systems and larger vines. The berries possess a mineral quality that is characteristic of this unique combination of soil and temperature.

• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 14.2% Alcohol
• 0.59 TA
• 3.70 pH
• Aged 14 months in 100% new French oak barrels