2021 Dana Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Napa

*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.