Notes from the Winemaker:Sourced from estate-owned vineyards, Anakota is a collection of 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 Montana Vineyard is brought to life as stressed vines struggle with the rocky soils and challenging climatic conditions to create small, intensely flavored berries.
Running northeast to southwest on the eastern side of scenic Highway 128, the Helena Mountain vineyard offers ever-changing topography. Rolling hills abut steep benches with slopes of up to 30 degrees. This juxtaposition of hills, knolls and trees routes cool, westerly winds away from the vines. Planting vines perpendicular to the prevailing winds provides even more protection. A pure mountain stream and rocky ridge separate this vineyard from our Helena Dakota vineyard.
Distinctive yellow-white soil that does not yield easily to touch typifies this vineyard. This pale, sandy and gravelly loam at first glance resembles solid rock. A stringent pruning process forces the roots of vines down through this firm soil strata rather than allowing them to grow parallel to the surface as they would on their own. All the same, the roots do not deeply penetrate the earth, which results in smaller, more stressed vines than those of our neighboring Helena Dakota vineyard.
Statistics
* 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
* 15.0% Alcohol
* 0.41 TA
* 3.68 pH
* Aged 17 months in small French oak barrels, 82% new
What Does It Taste Like?
"The 2006 Helena Montana Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine with a very elegant and refined nose of black fruits. An initial impression on the palate of vanilla from well integrated oak. The architecture of this wine is well constructed, very spiced, with an extra long finish of minerality infused with soft delicate tannins, attributing to its long aging potential. Before 2011, decant for full enjoyment." - Pierre Seillan, Vigneron/Winemaker
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 95+ Points:
"Readers looking for slightly more structure
and a Mouton Rothschild-like nose of creme de cassis, licorice, black
currants, cedar, and a hint of bay leaf should check out the 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota. The fruit for this full-bodied,
powerful Cabernet was harvested ten days later than that of the Helena
Montana. The tannic, impressively endowed, full-bodied Helena Dakota is
clearly meant for true connoisseurs with cold cellars as well as the
patience to wait 5-6 years for it to evolve. It is a 25- to 30-year
wine ... at the minimum." -Robert Parker (02/10)
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - 92+ Points:
"(14.8% alcohol) Saturated bright ruby. Aromas of cassis, violet, licorice and menthol, plus a whiff of cocoa powder. Sweet and chewy but with lovely aromatic lift to the black fruit, brown spice and floral flavors. At once structured and silky, powerful and stylish. Finishes with firm tannins and noteworthy verve. From a vineyard planted at an elevation of 750 feet. The gravelly silt and loam soil here is a bit less firm than the sandy gravelly loam (volcanic ash) used to make the Helena Montana wine. 92(+?) points." -Stephen Tanzer (May/June 2009)
