2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyards
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Unique aromas of citrus fruit such as tangerines and oranges which combine with plums, black cherries, and blackcurrants. Lemon rind, too. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that give the wine a precise and focused finish that lasts for minutes. Laser-guided. A savory and subtle, minerally finish. This redefines the greatness of Napa Valley wine and California.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 57-acre estate vineyard includes the Helms Vineyard in Rutherford, which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and usually produces small quantities of less than 300 cases. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms is sensational. Its opaque purple color, which is common among the 2012 and 2013 Bordeaux varietals in Napa, leads to a spectacularly flamboyant and aromatic nose of earth, graphite, blackberry and cassis. The wine is rich, full-bodied, and again, concentrated, pure and dense, with sweet melted tannins nicely integrated, along with the French oak (about 100% new). This wine has a good 30+ years of upside to it.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard is developing beautifully. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, menthol, dried herbs and spice lend notable aromatic breadth and complexity. Savory and floral notes soar out of the glass. The 2013 has arrived at an early plateau of maturity. Soft and alluring today, the Helms is positively stellar.
About the producer
Located on the Rutherford bench, Dana Estates is a small Napa estate focused on producing fine, single-site Cabernet Sauvignon. The concentrated wines are some of the region’s most sought-after, regularly earning top ratings from critics – with 19 100-point scores to date.