2012 Dana Estates, Cabernet Sauvignon Onda, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

RP95 “The largest case production is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Onda, which is essentially their second wine culled from the top lots of Lotus, Hershey, Helms and Crystal Springs. It’s a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot (888 cases) that spent 20 months in 70% new French oak. The wine is deep ruby/purple, exhibits creme de cassis notes with some incense and subtle charcoal. It’s medium to full-bodied, silky smooth and clearly meant to be the wine that most consumers would want to drink earlier than the more saturated and denser single-vineyard wines. This should drink nicely for at least another 10-15 years.” RP Oct 2014
Dana Estates, Cabernet Sauvignon Onda, Napa Valley

JS95 "This estate, thoroughly modernized and brought to world-class quality by Korean proprietor Hi Sang Lee and his son, has considerable history, having been a winery and vineyard first planted in 1883 by H.W. Helms. All of these are relatively small-lot Cabernet Sauvignons, generally ranging from 200 or so cases, to as many as 800 cases. The wines have been spectacular and represent four completely different terroirs. Their vineyards include Crystal Springs Vineyard on Howell Mountain, the Helms Vineyard in Rutherford, the Hershey Vineyard on Howell Mountain, and the Lotus Vineyard. The 2012s performed even better from bottle than they did last year from barrel and the 2013s look extremely strong as well. Consulting wine guru Philippe Melka said that yields were much higher in 2012 and small in 2013, mostly because the drought made the berries so tiny.