Description
Located adjacent to the historic DANA winery at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, Helms Vineyard is an 8-acre site on the western side of the Rutherford AVA. The site’s deep soils include abundant riverbed gravel with decomposed remnants of an ancient seabed. Fruit from this site is richly perfumed, with beautiful plummy fruit and heady aromatics. Dusty cocoa-powder tannins have a natural softness and viscosity that lend elegant volume to the wines. Cabernet Sauvignon from Helms Vineyard is DANA Estates’ most classically styled bottling, evoking the old world wines that inspired our project.
Critical Acclaim
99 points James Suckling
Extraordinary aromas of metal shavings, black currants and hazelnuts. Turns to roses and violets. Full-bodied, yet subtle and refined with a polished piercing tannin backbone. This makes you want to drink it. Sexy and elegant. A triumph. (11/2015)
96 points Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard sings of crushed blackberries, cassis and black cherries with touches of Provence herbs, violets and chocolate box plus a hint of dusty earth. Medium-bodied with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and a racy acid line, it has youthful, taut, muscular black fruit and a long, refreshing finish. Should age beautifully! (LPB, 12/2017)
96 points Vinous
Dana’s 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard possesses remarkable structure and density, especially within the context of the year. Firm yet well-integrated tannins give the wine much of its energy, tension and focus. Black cherry jam, graphite, smoke and tobacco add nuance as the wine opens up in the glass. Far from an easygoing 2012, the Helms is going to need time to fully come together. There is so much to look forward to here. This is the first vintage since 2008 that was vinified in wood uprights, as was originally intended. The intervening vintages have been much shorter, so they were done in barrel. The 2012 impresses for its balance of fruit, acidity and tannin. (AG, 12/2014)
94 points Wine Spectator
Dense and pleasantly earthy, with an edge of loamy earth and crushed rock minerality cutting through the core of currant, blackberry and mocha before the dense, earthy tannins fold in. The finish is long and engaging. (JL,10/2015)
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