Dana Estate Napa Valley Cult Wine Tasting with Special Guest Owner Jae Chun Wednesday, February 12, 2025 - 7:30 PM
Wine is wonderful stuff. But so many people are put off by the snobbery of it.
John Cleese
Or they simply can’t afford the good stuff…and you don’t have to be a billionaire to drink well at the Wine Watch we have great wines at every price point. We also give you the opportunity to taste some of the world’s greatest wine at a fraction of the cost that you would have to pay to buy a bottle. This is what makes Wine Watch one of the most unique wine boutiques in the world, there is no other wine store that you can taste as many wines through the course of the year for ½ the price of a single bottle of one wine on the table…and that includes dinner!!
Napa Valley produces some of the greatest examples of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal and at the top end of the spectrum there are many choices but very few that have started out at the top like Dana Estate.
I remember my visit to Dana right after they opened the newly renovated winery that was formerly the Livingston Moffett estate. After touring the new winery, I remember thinking “WOW” they built an amazing facility to produce a few hundred cases of each of the single vineyard wine. Profit was not the initial goal, becoming one top wines in Napa Valley was and they spared no expense building this winery. They bought one of the top vineyard sites in Napa Valley, then hired one of the top winemakers to consult for the project Philippe Melka and spared no expense on everything. That is how you make a great wine from day one, it takes a huge commitment and the Chun family was ready to stay the course and they have never wavered.
The Chun family succeeded in making Dana Estate one of the best wines in Napa from the very first vintage, the 2005 was amazing but once Robert Parker Jr’s Wine Advocate rated the 2007 Dana Estate Lotus Vineyard (100 points) the rest was history. The demand for these wines now has moved the needle to where the new releases are just shy of $1000 a bottle!
Dana Estate is now considered to be among the top wines of Napa Valley and you can put it alongside any of the world’s great Cabernet Sauvignon, it can hang with the big boys of Bordeaux.
Join us as we welcome the owner of Dana Estate Jae Chun to South Florida and experience all the wines that Dana Estate produces. Chef Toni will prepare a tasting menu to accompany them and the fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $495 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Dana Estate Napa Valley Wine Tasting
with Special Guest Owner Jae Chun
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
7:30 PM
2021 Dana Estates Hershey Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Howell Mountain Napa
2020 Dana Estates Vaso Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2019 Dana Estates Onda Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2021 Dana Estates Onda Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2021 Dana Estates Hershey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
2021 Dana Estates Lotus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
2021 Dana Estates Helms Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
2021 Dana Estates Montagna Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Mini Blackened Mahi Tacos with Mango Mint Salsa
Frozen Foie Gras Powder Served over Tomato Aspic with Beef Consumee
A5 Waygu Filet Mignon Served with Cabernet Natural Sauce and Sweet Potato Au Gratin
Chocolate Tart
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $495 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A brief history of Dana Estate:
Nestled at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains in the Napa Valley, Dana Estates is dedicated to making small lots of truly distinctive world class wines. Dana is a Sanskrit term meaning “the Spirit of Generosity.” It is in this spirit that we express a profound appreciation for those that have worked the soil before us, as we build on the foundations laid by previous generations of vintners. Blending history and tradition with cutting edge vineyard management, a new state of the art winery and meticulous winemaking, Dana Estates strives to make the greatest wines possible. In so doing, we hope to provide a link between the past and future generations of vintners, and all those who appreciate the generosity of this special land.
Dana Estates is the third winery to occupy this piece of vineyard land in the heart of the famed Rutherford Bench. First farmed and developed by German viticulturalist H. W. Helms in 1883, it was purchased in 1976 by John and Diane Livingston and served as the home for Livingston Moffett winery until proprietor Hi Sang Lee bought the property in 2005. The winery was re-designed by renowned architect Howard Backen, keeping the original stone walls as its centerpiece. Hi Sang and Howard worked carefully with winemakers Philippe Melka and Cameron Vawter to insure that the space and facilities would enable the production of consistently world class wines.
They make three single vineyard expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and a blend called Onda along with one white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc.
This gently sloping site is relatively cool, and is protected from the intensity of the late afternoon heat during the height of the growing season. The gravelly loam soils provide excellent drainage and wonderful fruit purity. Helms Vineyard Cabernet displays the classic profile of the Rutherford Bench: dark fruit, richly layered with a touch of spice and earth. The finely grained “dusty” tannins so prevalent in the appellation are integrated and harmonious, producing a wine of sophistication and depth.
The incredibly rocky, rhyolitic soils of this Howell Mountain site provide fruit with structure and depth, yet the cool climate produces a wine of restraint and vibrant acidity. An underlying minerality gives the wine a particularly distinctive character and provides another layer of complexity. The appellation has become a favorite of collectors who value the age worthy capacity of wines from this elevation.
Onda is a wine made in the Bordeaux tradition, blending both varietals and vineyards together to create a synergy from our estate sites. We have been making this wine since 2005, experimenting by blending fruit from Helms, Hershey, Lotus and our fourth estate vineyard, Crystal Springs. A bit softer than our single vineyard wines, Onda is characterized by wonderful fruit purity, elegance and precision. It drinks beautifully upon release but will age gracefully for 10-15 years with appropriate storage.
The Lotus vineyard is located at 1200 feet above sea level in the Vaca Mountains on the east side of the valley, Lotus is the warmest of our three vineyards. With rocky soils and low yielding vines facing west that embrace the afternoon sun, Lotus produces a wine of power and concentration. Packed with layers of black fruit, with notes of mocha, anise and graphite, Lotus tends to be the most full bodied of the three wines we produce.
All the wines from Dana Estate in the store on SALE!!
2021 Dana Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Napa
Price: $930.00 Your Price: $818.40
*Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
*Vintage production: 280 cases
*Hailed by Robert Parker as “Their First Growth Terroir”, Lotus Vineyard is situated at the northern reaches of Howell Mountain, and presents the challenge of farming slopes ranging from 35° to 40°, at an elevation of 365 metres above sea level. Given these extreme aspects, the farming here is all painstakingly performed by hand. The entirety of the vineyard is planted on core stone bedrock and is 95% dry-farmed. The bedrock just beneath the surface causes the vines’ roots to struggle in the search for water below, resulting in a Cabernet that is compelling for its power, intensity, vibrancy, and tension.
The crop size was exceedingly small in 2021. Often, it is not the prettiest vines that produce the greatest wines but those that must struggle and fight to produce. Maturity was achieved in mid-September, and the team harvested all of Lotus on a single day. Despite the thick skins and small berries, the wine has purity, focus, and elegance. All that Lotus fruit but in a more svelte package.
Aromatics of black currant, graphite, tobacco, and baking spice. The full-bodied palate is layered with sweet cassis and cherry fruit mixed with blood orange, graphite, savoury herbs, and baking spice. It has the contradictory feel of precision and focus paired with an expansive feel the envelopes the entire mouth. The wine is delicious now, but cellaring will allow more graceful nuance and depth.
2021 Dana Estates Helms Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $930.00 Your Price: $818.40
*Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
*Vintage production: 312 cases
*The 2021 Helms Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon expresses its personality through refined aromatics paired with creamy full-bodied tannins.
Surrounding the winery in western Rutherford, this gently sloping site is relatively cool, and is protected from the intensity of the late afternoon heat during the height of the growing season. The gravelly loam soils provide excellent drainage and wonderful fruit purity. Helms Vineyard Cabernet displays the classic profile of the Rutherford Bench: dark fruit, richly layered with a touch of spice and earth. The finely grained ‘dusty’ tannins so prevalent in the appellation are integrated and harmonious, producing a wine of sophistication and depth.
The team began picking grapes on September 9th with the block on cooler clay rich soils. With more access to water in this dry year this block ripened faster than in years with more spring rain. The next pick was on September 15th on the classic loam soils of Rutherford which are deep and well drained. The grape berries were exceedingly small, with moderately thick skins, and bright acidity. Despite the small thick skinned berries extraction of colour, tannin and flavour occurred earlier than normal during fermentation. The vintage shows great concentration, fresh fruit character, and depth of flavour.
The vintage produced aromas of violets, red currant, dark chocolate, and black cherry supported by mineral, spice, and mountain sage notes. The palate is energetic and precise. The red currant fruit and acidity complement a persistent mouth filling finish. The wine captures the vintage’s character with its elegant texture and intense flavours that envelop the palate. This wine is beautiful now but will reward ageing.
2021 Dana Estate Hershey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $930.00 Your Price: $818.40
*Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc
*Vintage production: 475 cases
*The 2021 Hershey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a sublime expression of Howell Mountain. Located at 550m above the Valley floor, the incredibly rocky, rhyolitic soils of this Howell Mountain site provide fruit with structure and depth, yet the cool climate produces a wine of restraint and vibrant acidity. An underlying minerality gives the wine a particularly distinctive character and provides another layer of complexity.
Harvest started on September 14th at Hershey with the earliest ripening block on white ash rich soil. The team continued harvesting over the next two weeks as different parts of the vineyard reached peak maturity. Chris was particularly excited to incorporate the Cabernet Franc block into the Hershey blend for the first time. It brings a layer of floral aromatics and red currant fruit to the blend. The cooler than average nights retained acids, and moderate sunny days, and very small crops pushed phenolic maturity earlier.
Aromatics of blackberry, chocolate, blood orange, and a mineral iron envelope the senses. The medium bodied palate is saline and bright with intense sweet plums, cherry, black olive, India ink, and wet stone flavours. The finish is linear and precise with graphite and dried herbs lingering. This wine is compact and intense now but will reveal more depth and complexity over the next few decades.
2019 Dana Estates Onda Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $281.25 Your Price: $247.50 Quantity in Stock: 8
Winemaker Notes: The 2019 Onda Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of blackberries, baking spice, and plum tart. Intermingled with the fruit are notes of coffee and a hint of graphite. Rich fruit with dense flavors of black cherries, plums, and currants layer with graphite and a briny minerality. The velvety mid-palate transitions to flavors of black truffle, brioche, and blackberry on the finish. The predominantly hillside provenance of the grapes lend a broad mouth coating tannin backbone. The touch of Cabernet Franc brings complexity with hints of mountain sage and lilacs. The Petit Verdot brings depth to the tannins and a hint of blueberries. While inviting now, this wine will grow in complexity as it continues to age. Blend: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
2020 Dana Estates Vaso Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Price: $85.50 Your Price: $75.24
"Harvest began on September 30th in our western facing Crystal Springs Vineyard. The next week we continued harvest at Lotus Vineyard, just north of Crystal Springs. The core of our VASO blend comes from our highest and coolest vineyard, Hershey Vineyard sitting atop Howell Mountain. Harvest of Malbec and Merlot started at Hershey on October 9th, and the remainder of the Cabernet being picked mid to late October. Valley floor fruit, including fruit from our Rutherford Helms Vineyard, had the most diverse ripening, being picked starting October 8th to the conclusion of harvest on October 24th.
Our philosophy of minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery has resulted in a slow progression to dry farming. This forces the vines to look deeper for water, but also for nutrients and minerals. The results are balanced vines that produce small, intensely flavored berries with thick dark skins. We used various fermentation vessels to harness the complexity of our sites including oak upright tanks, single barrel fermentation, and concrete tanks. After undergoing fermentation, the free run juice is drained directly off skins to barrel for native malolactic fermentation and aging, not being touched again until blending in early Spring."
2019 Dana Estates Vaso Cabernet Sauvignon Napa MAGNUM
Price: $235.50 Your Price: $207.24
(95 Points) The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Vaso is a more forward, plush, sexy wine that's already drinking brilliantly. Loaded with red and black fruits as well as leafy herbs, violets, and tobacco notes, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, juicy mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's a hidden gem of a wine that readers should buy. (JD) Review Date: 02/2023, Jeb Dunnuck
2019 Dana Estate Helms Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $1083.00 Your Price: $953.04
(98 Points) The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard is classy, elegant and polished. Bright acids and beams of supporting tannin give the Helms terrific energy and vibrancy. The 2019 is a gorgeous Helms. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, dried herbs, mint and a hint or rose petal lend aromatic brilliance to a sculpted, mid-weight Cabernet that is more finesse than power. I love the purity here. (AG) Review Date: 02/2023, Vinous
2017 Dana Estates Lotus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Price: $550.00 Sale Price: $450.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
(100 points) Another perfect wine is Bevan’s equal part blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2012 Proprietary Red Sugarloaf Mountain. Notes of unsmoked cigar tobacco, forest floor, pen ink mulberries, blackberries and spring flowers soar from this inky/purple-colored 2012. The wine possesses great intensity, remarkable unctuosity and thickness, and perfect integration of acidity, alcohol, tannin and wood. Aged in equal parts new Gamba and Darnajou barrels, there are 225 cases of this fabulous wine. (RP) (10/2014) Wine Advocate
2015 DANA ESTATES VASO CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA MAGNUM
Price: $225.00 Your Price: $198.00
Aromatically complex, the 2015 Vaso captures the different terroirs and varieties of this Cabernet blend with fragrances of red currant, plums, sage, and loam with hints of tobacco box and spices. The entry has flavors of Bing cherries and dried herbs as the hillside tannins fills out the mid palate. The wine supple yet structured palate. Ripe strawberry, forest floor, and a light minerality linger on the finish. Lush and approachable now, this wine will continue to develop as the years pass.
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc back