![Dana Estate Cabernet Sauvignon "Helms Vineyard" 2006 (Rutherford, USA) [WA 94]](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/products/dana_{width}x.png?v=1680986656)
Dana Estate Cabernet Sauvignon "Helms Vineyard" 2006
(Rutherford, USA) [WA 94]
Regular price $474.98
About the Producer:
Dana Estates is a wine producer of Napa Valley, loccated at the foot of the Mayacamas mountain range. It produces a range of premium single-vineyard wines, mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon with a small inclusion of Sauvignon Blanc.
There are three single vineyards spread across the Rutherford and Howell Mountain AVAs. The Helms Vineyard, in Rutherford, is planted solely to Cabernet Sauvignon, and is planted on gentle slopes with well-draining, gravelly loam soils.
In Howell Mountain, the Lotus and Hershey vineyards have slightly cooler climates and are both planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter with a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc.
In the winery, grapes are fermented in either in concrete tanks, oak uprights or small barrels subject to the character of each vineyard plot. Dana's red wines are all aged in French oak barrels, mostly new, for up to two years depending on the vintage. The Sauvignon Blanc is also aged in barrel, although the percentage of new oak is much less.
In addition to the single vineyard wines, Dana Estates also produces a Bordeaux blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Ratings and Reviews:
94 Points - Wine Advocate:
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard possesses the vintage’s structure and power. While this vintage is more irregular than the 2005, it has a tendency to produce more masculine-styled wines with loads of concentration, but less charm and finesse (at least at this stage). The 2006s are somewhat reminiscent of the 1996s, which followed the brilliant years of 1994 and 1995. The deep ruby/purple-hued 2006 Helms Vineyard cuvee offers subtle notes of spicy oak intermixed with forest floor and new oak. It exhibits a powerful, dense, rich finish, but overall is less evolved than the seemingly more complex 2005. Proprietor Hi Sang Lee and his son, both from Seoul, Korea, have morphed this estate, previously part of the Livingston Vineyards, into three single vineyard wines, Helms Vineyard from Rutherford (500 cases), Lotus from St. Helena hillsides (225 cases) and approximately 100 cases of the Hershey Vineyard from Howell Mountain. Philippe Melka is the consulting winemaker, and beginning with the debut vintage in 2005, these are all impressive efforts. - Robert Parker December 2008