2010 Anakota Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Bright ruby to the rim. Musky aromas of mountain blackberry and minerals, plus a whiff of leather and a violet high note. Plush, broad and utterly seamless on entry, but with the lively violet element giving definition to the fully ripe, sweet black fruits in the middle palate. A wave of fine tannins dusts the palate and teeth on the sweet but youthfully medicinal back end, which boasts terrific, slow-building length. This beauty delivers wonderfully plush fruit and considerable power without coming across as hot. (from a vineyard planted at 750 feet)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The same can be said for the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard. However, it offers sweeter tannins as well as slightly more evolved and complex aromas of unsmoked, high class cigar tobacco, graphite, blackberries, cassis, spring flowers and a distinctive minerality. Although deep, full-bodied and backward, the sweet fruit and tannin provide a more upfront character than the 2009. It, too, is a 30-50-year wine. Made by Kendall-Jackson’s Bordelais winemaker Pierre Seillan, these wines represent the pinnacle of what they hope to achieve in high elevation sites in Knights Valley, an area increasingly being utilized by Napa producers given the great success Peter Michael and Kendall-Jackson have had in this region. These limited production 2009s and 2010s made at high elevation vineyards (Helena Dakota is at 750 feet, and the Helena Montana is at 950 feet) have not yet been released. These highly extracted, rich, full-bodied wines may have limited appeal given their aging potential and broodingly backward characters. All of these offerings are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that were aged in 100% French oak for 15 months prior to bottling. The alcohols came in between 14.2% and 14.8%. I gave slightly higher scores to the Helena Dakota cuvees, perhaps because they were showing more accessibility. Tel. (707) 431-3921
Anakota's 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard is wonderfully alive in the glass. Freshly cut flowers, violets, spices, graphite and mint are all woven together in a Cabernet that has plenty of mountain character as well as pure opulence. All the elements are very much in balance. These red soils rich in volcanic deposits contribute tension and verve as the flavors built to a huge crescendo of intense pleasure.
(100% cabernet sauvignon): Good ruby-red. Cool aromas of crushed blackberry, cassis and minerals, plus a sexy candied note. Thick and powerful if a bit youthfully reduced, boasting strong, rather backward flavors of cassis, chocolate and iron. Finishes with huge, youthfully tough tannins that will require patience.