2017 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Lotus vineyard is just below Howell Mountain, not high enough to make that AVA. A very steep vineyard, 100% hand farmed, Lotus is by far the warmest site for this estate. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard is made from Cabernet Sauvignon with just a 1% splash of Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with vibrant, primary scents of black raspberries, ripe blackberries and wild blueberries with emerging notions of blackcurrant pastilles, lilacs, cinnamon toast and sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring firm, grainy tannins and tons of freshness supporting the densely packed, muscular black fruits, finishing with epic length and depth. 342 cases were made.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard is more pure and polished, with a beautifully elegant, medium to full-bodied, seamless style that I'd never guess came from the 2017 vintage. Offering lots of crème de cassis, black raspberry, crushed flowers, candied orange, and graphite-like aromatics, it's flawlessly balanced on the palate and has incredible tannins, ample mid-palate depth, and beautiful length on the finish. Just pure class, it's a wine that builds with time in the glass and is going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades. It's an incredible achievement in this vintage.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard captures all the best this challenging year had to offer. It is also the biggest and richest wine in the range. Black cherry, plum, spice, licorice and blood orange are all amplified in this sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon. The Lotus shows a bit more new oak toastiness than the other wines in the lineup, but it all works well together. In two previous tastings, the 2017 showed so much promise. Now that it is in bottle, all of the potential has been captured.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard is positively dazzling. The heat of the year seems to have given the Lotus an extra kick of ripeness and sweetness in its tannin that works so well here. Sumptuous and lush, with magnificent balance, the Lotus is stunningly beautiful from the very first taste. Ripe red cherry, red plum, mint, rose petal and licorice build into the creamy, enveloping finish. Stated simply, the 2017 Lotus is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Wow.
About the producer
Located on the Rutherford bench, Dana Estates is a small Napa estate focused on producing fine, single-site Cabernet Sauvignon. The concentrated wines are some of the region’s most sought-after, regularly earning top ratings from critics – with 19 100-point scores to date.