2013 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard Howell Mountain

Two wines that I did not see from bottle have turned out to be close to perfection. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard has unbelievable richness, a profound opaque purple color and enormous notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with blackberry liqueur, white flowers and crushed rock. The wine is full-bodied and dense with moderately high tannin, but the tannin is integrated and silky. This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and look for it to evolve for 30-35 years. Review Date: October 2016

The aromas of tar, slate, and graphite with dark fruits such as blackberries are so prevalent here. Licorice too. Smoked meat. Full-bodied, very layered, dense and profound. Mouth-filling and structured. A wine that is fascinating now but even better in 2020. 282 cases. Review Date: January 2016

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard opens with striking, beguiling aromatics. The bright salinity and tannin of Howell Mountain gives the Hershey its energy, but at the same time, the wine has softened and become relatively accessible for the vintage, something winemaker Chris Cooney ascribes to a greater focus on dry farming. Pine, menthol, chocolate, spice and dried flowers give the wine its distinctive aromatic signatures. A dark, brooding wine, the Hershey is also a terrific example of the vintage. Dramatic, intense and utterly beguiling, the 2013 is a majestic, soaring Cabernet Sauvignon. I would prefer to cellar it for at least a few years. Review Date: December 2016