Description
KNIGHTS VALLEY
Knights Valley is a remote winegrowing region bridging Sonoma and Napa Counties. It’s an untamed landscape defined by rugged mountains,
steep hillsides, placid meadows and abundant wildlife. Even though this AVA has produced some of the world’s great wines, it is still a mystery
to most. Set along the flanks and foothills of Mount St. Helena and the Mayacamas Mountains, this rustic sanctuary possesses the complex
volcanic soils and ideal climate needed to produce elegant, profound, and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons.
HELENA MONTANA VINEYARD
Running southwest to northeast at an elevation of 950 feet above sea level, the 60-acre Helena Montana vineyard is marked by rolling hills and
steep benches that rise up to 30 degrees. It features firm, yellow-white gravelly loam soils of volcanic origin that drain extremely well. The
surrounding topography of hills, knolls, and forests, helps route cool, westerly winds away from the vines, enhancing the warmth of this unique
site, resulting in wines that are aromatic, concentrated, and firmly structured.
VIGNERON NOTES
A second straight year of drought, 2021 began with careful pruning through the cold winter months to prepare our vineyards for the coming
season. Late winter and spring were cooler than average and pushed budbreak back by a few weeks, but warm weather set in by May and the
season proceeded with only a few minor heat events. Harvest began in mid-September, and the resulting wines are powerfully full-bodied.
“2021 Helena Montana is densely structured and loaded with complexity, showing ripe red and black currant, with fresh bouquet garni, framed
by sweet baking spices and dark roast coffee. The palate is linear in texture, showing concentrated fruit and non-fruit flavors, balancing a core of
firm tannin and juicy acidity. The finish is very long, marked by persistent minerality.” — Pierre Seillan, Vigneron
ACCLAIM
94-96 POINTS —Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, August 2023
RP97
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.
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