2005 Helena Dakota Cabernet Sauvignon

“The 2005 Helena Dakota Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine with a deep, dark red color. The nose presents notes of vanilla and oak. On the palate is an explosion of red fruits and minerality supported by a very round structure. The tannins are mature and present a long finish with hints of blonde tobacco. This wine can be decanted and enjoyed now, or it can be placed in your cellar. Before 2010, decant for full enjoyment.” - Pierre Seillan, Vigneron/Winemaker

94 POINTS, Robert Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate, December 2008
“The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota comes across as a rich wine. Its opaque purple color is followed by a stunning aromatic display of lead pencil shavings, espresso, roast, chocolate, blackberries, and cassis. The wine is deep and full-bodied with sweet tannins, decent acidity, a harmonious mouthfeel, and a seamless integration of acidity, oak, tannin, and alcohol. This beauty can be drunk now or cellared for two decades.”

91 POINTS, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, June 2008
“Good red-ruby. Musky aromas of currant, iron, leather and smoke. Lush, fat and nuanced, with noteworthy purity and depth to its flavors of black cherry, game, spices, mint and earth. Very full and round but not at all sweet or easy. Compared to the Helena Montana, this shows a tad less energy and finishes with more obvious though fine tannins.”

This 12.4 acre vineyard runs southeast to northwest on the eastern side of scenic Highway 128 and possesses slopes of up to 15 degrees. Prevailing westerly winds pass over a large, cold pond and blow uphill, parallel to the rows of vines. These cooling breezes slow down the ripening of the grapes and result in wines that are packed with elegance, complexity and finesse. A pure mountain stream and rocky ridge separate this vineyard from our Helena Montana vineyard.

Silt-loam soil that is reddish brown in color prevails in the Helena Dakota Vineyard. Although the soil is rocky in some places, overall it is softer than the soil our neighboring Helena Montana Vineyard. The softer soil allows vines to establish deeper root systems and grow larger vines. Without fail, the fruit each vintage possesses mineral qualities characteristic of this unique combination of soil and temperature.

• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 14.8% Alcohol
• 0.60 TA
• 3.67 pH
• Aged 14 months in small French oak barrels, 70% new